CPOE Reduces Error, Improves Safety at Prominent Pediatric Hospital; Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children Improves Patient Safety by Reducing Errors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. & WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 2005--The Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children has reduced medication errors and increased patient safety through the use of Cerner Millennium(R) solutions, including computerized physician order entry (CPOE), pharmacy and nursing applications.

"We have demonstrated what comprehensive studies have shown: CPOE reduces the risk of medication errors, therefore improving patient safety and decreasing rates of mortality," said Dr. Terri Steinberg, clinical applications manager at Nemours. "Nearly 100 percent of the 50,000 orders placed here each month by physicians and clinicians are automated and online, providing a closed loop of care for medication administration."

“We will continue to help the hospital deliver the results it needs to remain one of the country's best children's hospitals.”

Cerner's CPOE solution enables Nemours to unify its medication management process, bringing the physician, pharmacist and nurse together from order through administration. As a result, the hospital's medication error rates are nearly 70 percent less than hospitals that do not utilize CPOE, according to figures published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The number of medication errors at the hospital steadily remains well below the national average through its use of Cerner Millennium solutions.

More than 4,000 registered clinicians access the healthcare IT system at Nemours, benefiting from increased efficiencies in both acute-care and ambulatory settings. Nearly 2,400 of the registered clinicians and physicians are providing orders through the system. By focusing on the medication management process, Nemours is using automation and barcoding to make certain the correct medication and exact dose is given to the right child at the right moment. The hospital is one of the nation's first to pilot barcoding for medication administration. Additionally, the widespread use of technology is eliminating glitches inherent with paper-based charts such as prescription illegibility, communication breakdown, incomplete information and medication administration delay.

"We have seen a significant change in our care process since partnering with Cerner in 1999," said Dr. Steinberg. "For example, by using CPOE the time it takes to order a complete blood count has been reduced by 70 percent. In aggregate, that improves the timeliness of care and provides more time for physicians to spend focusing on their patients and the patients' families."

By selecting Cerner, Nemours chose a supplier with strength in numbers. Cerner has more than 4,500 Cerner Millennium solutions live at nearly 900 client facilities around the world, providing technology solutions for a diverse client base, from independent physicians to nationwide healthcare organizations.

"The successful and consistent use of CPOE at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children sends a clear message to the marketplace that patient safety and CPOE are inextricably connected," said Trace Devanny, Cerner president. "We will continue to help the hospital deliver the results it needs to remain one of the country's best children's hospitals."

The 180-bed children's hospital is a division of Nemours, which operates one of the nation's largest subspecialty group practices devoted to pediatric patient care, teaching and research. In 2005, Computerworld named Nemours one of the "Best Places to Work in IT" as a result of its advanced electronic environment that connects clinicians with the children they treat. Since its founding in 1940, the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and has provided family-focused healthcare to the children of Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. The hospital and clinic are the academic partners of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

Cerner Corp. is taking the paper chart out of healthcare, eliminating error, variance and waste in the care process. With more than 1,500 clients worldwide, Cerner is the leading supplier of healthcare information technology. The following are trademarks of Cerner: Cerner, Cerner Millennium, Cerner's logo. NASDAQ: CERN. www.cerner.com.