Department of Veterans Affairs Awards Picis VISN-Wide Contract for Comprehensive Anesthesia Solution

New York/New Jersey Medical Centers to install Picis anesthesia information system for clinical documentation and business automation

WAKEFIELD, Mass. — Picis announced today that it has been awarded a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) anesthesia record keeping (ARK) contract for the New York/New Jersey Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 3). The group of five medical centers in VISN 3 has selected Picis Preop Manager, Anesthesia Manager and PACU Manager, integrated software solutions designed to streamline clinician workflow, anesthesia documentation and continuity of care before, during and after surgical cases.

After an extensive search for anesthesia information systems through a formal RFP and evaluation process, the selection team for VISN 3 chose Picis Preop Manager, Anesthesia Manager and PACU Manager, part of the CareSuite^® family of high-acuity solutions, to meet the anesthesia record keeping needs and post anesthesia care unit (PACU) documentation needs of the five VISN 3 medical centers. The rigorous evaluation process included several weeks of three-day, hands-on evaluations of five large vendors including Picis. Clinicians from across the perioperative spectrum at each of the medical centers tested each of the vendor’s solutions, asked detailed questions and examined how each system would meet the VA’s high standards for functionality, intuitive use and interoperability.

The New York and New Jersey VA medical centers join a growing list of progressive VA medical centers across the country that use Picis solutions to automate the clinical documentation, business and financial functions in the operating room (OR), intensive care unit (ICU), anesthesia and post anesthesia/recovery environments. The five VISN 3 medical centers that are implementing Picis' anesthesia and PACU automation system as part of the contract award are:

• James J. Peters VA Medical Center in Bronx, NY;
• Brooklyn Campus of the New York Harbor VA Healthcare System;
• Manhattan Campus of the New York Harbor VA Healthcare System;
• East Orange Campus of the VA New Jersey Healthcare System; and
• Northport VA Medical Center.

Among the key criteria to selecting Picis was its solutions proven interoperability with the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA), which helps eliminate silos of data, reduce redundant documentation and facilitate clinicians’ access to clinical data. As a result, Picis has a strong footprint in the VA medical community, with more than 16 VA medical centers across eight VISNs using Picis high acuity solutions, including a dozen anesthesia record keeping clients.

“We are honored to be selected to help automate the documentation of medical care for our veterans,” said Todd Cozzens, vice chairman and CEO of Picis. “The caregivers of the Veterans Health Administration are some of the most competent and dedicated found anywhere in the world, and they deserve state-of-the-art technology to continue to raise the already high standard of care. We believe the integration of our solutions with their existing hospital information system will give these medical centers the best of both worlds – seamless data availability and best-in-class functionality for high-acuity care.”

The formal public announcement of this award can be found at: https://www.fbo.gov. Picis Anesthesia Manager and PACU Manager help clinicians manage large volumes of data in the OR by assembling vital data for a complete overview of the patient's status. By automating the intraoperative and postoperative anesthesia documentation, including patient vital signs and physiologic data, these solutions are designed to provide a more complete, accurate and legible record that enhances accountability and increases clinician efficiency, thereby reducing costs of the VA Health System, and, in turn, the U.S. taxpayers.

About Picis

Picis is a global provider of innovative information solutions that enable rapid and sustained delivery of clinical, financial and operational results in the acute care areas of the hospital. These high-acuity areas include the emergency department, operating and recovery rooms, and intensive care units. Picis offers the most advanced suite of integrated products focused on these life-critical areas of the hospital where the patients are the most vulnerable, the care process is the most complex and an increasing majority of hospital costs and potential revenue are concentrated. Headquartered in Wakefield, Massachusetts, Picis has licensed systems for use in more than 1,700 hospitals in 19 countries. More information is available at www.picis.com.