MADISON, N.J., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- MedPlus, the healthcare information
technology subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), today
announced that it has been awarded a contract to implement a clinical portal
and information exchange for the Brooklyn Health Information Exchange (BHIX).
Organized by Maimonides Medical Center and other healthcare organizations in
New York, the BHIX is a not-for-profit corporation that will offer health
information exchange services in Brooklyn, New York State's most populous
borough. The MedPlus system will enable physicians and other healthcare
workers to securely collect, manage and share patient information in real time
from Internet-enabled locations across the BHIX's eleven partner
organizations.
"Technology can optimize patient care, minimize the risk of medical
errors, and reduce administrative and other operating costs," said Pamela
Brier, president of Maimonides Medical Center and chairperson of the board of
directors of the BHIX. "Our goal for the BHIX is to provide exceptional
patient care and service through the strategic deployment of technology, and
we believe MedPlus is the right vendor to help us achieve this goal."
Under terms of an agreement with Maimonides Medical Center, the contractor
for the BHIX's clinical portal and information exchange project, MedPlus will
provide consulting, project management, design and implementation services to
deploy MedPlus' clinical portal, data exchange engine and document management
and imaging system for sharing patients' medical records electronically across
multiple facilities in Brooklyn. Additional terms of the contract were not
disclosed.
The BHIX exchange, which is to be operational in July 2008, will employ
MedPlus technologies to allow BHIX partners to aggregate and manage patient
data in their own clinician practices, while also giving individual physicians
and healthcare workers who are members of the BHIX access to patient data at
different care settings. Authorized users will be able to access a portal
through secure Internet-enabled workstations to view six key data elements of
a patient's medical data: patient demographics; medication lists; allergies;
advance directives; information on physicians treating the patient; and a
medical problem list. In addition, healthcare workers will be able to employ
paper-record scanning and indexing of advanced directives and patient consent
forms.
"The BHIX is an innovative health information exchange in New York, one of
the most progressive states to support the adoption of advanced technologies
for improving patient care and safety," said Richard Mahoney, vice president,
Healthcare Information Solutions at Quest Diagnostics and MedPlus president.
"MedPlus' project for the BHIX places it among an elite group of healthcare
information technology companies that can create a regional exchange
incorporating both electronic and critical digitally scanned paper documents,
managed and accessible at the point of care. By providing immediate and ready
access to relevant data, the MedPlus and BHIX system will empower physicians
with the information they need to provide the best possible care to their
patients."
The BHIX contract is the first agreement announced by MedPlus that
incorporates FirstGateways' data aggregation and exchange technologies and
services since MedPlus acquired FirstGateways from First Consulting Group in
September 2007. The BHIX's plan to build a clinical portal and information
exchange has qualified for funding under the Healthcare Efficiency and
Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY), adopted in 2004 to invest up to
$1 billion over four years to reform and reconfigure New York's healthcare
delivery system. The first round of HEAL grants, known as HEAL I, were awarded
to Maimonides for the BHIX clinical portal and information exchange project
and other applicants in May 2006.
About the Brooklyn Health Information Exchange (BHIX)
Incorporated as an independent not-for-profit corporation in NY, the BHIX
involves a collaboration of the leading acute, post-acute, and long-term
healthcare providers serving residents of New York. The BHIX will provide a
secure electronic infrastructure for sharing clinical information among
multiple healthcare organizations, representing a continuum of care in
Brooklyn. Scheduled to be operational in July 2008, the BHIX will facilitate
care for approximately 200,000 patients. The BHIX's initial partners include
Maimonides Medical Center, a 700-bed hospital that had almost 40,000 patient
discharges last year; Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, a 600-bed hospital
with almost 10,000 patient discharges last year; four nursing homes; three
certified home-healthcare agencies; and two payers. The BHIX is designed to
improve care as patients transition from departments or facilities, reduce
service duplication, and afford physicians and other healthcare workers with
fast access to patient information.
About MedPlus
MedPlus, the healthcare information technology subsidiary of Quest
Diagnostics, is a leading developer and integrator of clinical connectivity
and healthcare information exchange solutions that foster better patient care
and improve business performance for healthcare institutions, physicians and
patients. The company's Care360(TM) and ChartMaxx(R) solutions efficiently and
securely collect, store, manage and integrate clinical information within an
organization, enterprise, practice or community. Care360 is a patient-centric
physician portal providing the 120,000 physicians enrolled to use the portal
with tools to improve patient care and overall office efficiency. ChartMaxx,
the award-winning electronic patient record system, has been implemented in
more than 100 hospitals and integrated healthcare delivery networks and has
more than 300,000 users. In September 2007, MedPlus acquired FirstGateways, a
health information exchange system comprised of proprietary technologies that
enable healthcare providers to access and manage a range of patient data at
the point of care. For more information, visit http://www.medplus.com
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the leading provider of diagnostic testing,
information and services that patients and doctors need to make better
healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic
testing services through its national network of laboratories and patient
service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive
medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing
innovative new diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology
solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is
available at: http://www.questdiagnostics.com.
The statements in this press release which are not historical facts or
information may be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and
outcomes to be materially different. Certain of these risks and uncertainties
may include, but are not limited to, competitive environment, changes in
government regulations, changing relationships with customers, payers,
suppliers and strategic partners and other factors described in the Quest
Diagnostics Incorporated 2006 Form 10-K and subsequent SEC filings.
SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
CONTACT: Media, Wendy Bost, +1-973-520-2800;
Investors, Laure Park,
+1-973-520-2900,
both of Quest Diagnostics/
Web site: http://www.questdiagnostics.com
http://www.medplus.com