Press Releases

Picis Announces Interoperability with First DataBank

Connecting point of care physician ordering within ED PulseCheck to the healthcare segment’s most widely-used drug database

WAKEFIELD, Mass. — Aug. 5, 2009 — Picis today announced that it supports First DataBank’s National Drug Data File (NDDF) Plus™ as a native medication database within Picis ED PulseCheck®, the company’s market-leading emergency department information system (EDIS). By embedding First DataBank drug databases within ED PulseCheck, emergency department (ED) clinicians have a greater ability to exchange patient medication and allergy information with other hospital information systems (HIS) that rely on First DataBank for their drug and allergy clinical decision support. Picis, an industry leader in interoperability, is unique in that it supports both of the healthcare segment’s most widely-used drug database solutions, enabling hospitals to choose between First DataBank or Cerner Multum® VantageRx Database within ED PulseCheck, based upon the HIS or pharmacy system drug database in use.

Picis plans to support First DataBank implementations for new and existing clients, providing medication and allergy checking within ED PulseCheck, as well as the ability to check for conflicts with common food and non-medication items. This integration also provides easy ordering and prescription of durable medical equipment, such as crutches and syringes. With 95 percent of healthcare systems using drug databases from either First DataBank or Cerner Multum, Picis now offers maximum flexibility and integration to its clients while optimizing the benefits of an EDIS. Picis has supported the Cerner Multum drug database since 1999 and continues to do so.

Picis ED PulseCheck, part of the CareSuite® family of high-acuity solutions, provides physicians and nurses with a comprehensive snapshot of the entire ED with quick access to patient information — such as demographics, laboratory and radiology results — and interoperability with existing hospital information systems.

“By enhancing ED PulseCheck to support both of the two leading drug database providers in the hospital market today, Picis has demonstrated it is serious about lowering the barriers to interoperability for current and future clients. Improved clinical interoperability between Picis and other healthcare applications can result in a more reliable electronic patient data exchange which, in turn, can improve efficiency and help clinicians improve patient safety,” said Charlie Harp, President/Chief Consultant, Clinical Architecture LLC and former CTO of First DataBank. 

“Historically, one of the major barriers to clinical interoperability has been disparity in drug databases,” says Sharolyn Rhees Medina, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., Director of Clinical Informatics, Picis. “Offering First DataBank’s drug database to our clients eliminates that barrier to mutual exchange of key patient information, which is essential to our clients. Healthcare organizations recognize that this exchange of information allows caregivers in the ED, inpatient and outpatient settings to have access to up-to-date allergy and medication information available for a patient, which can lead to an improvement in the quality of care.”

Beginning this fall, new Picis customers will be able to choose between the two supported medication databases. Existing hospital customers can similarly choose to continue with the database they have or convert to First DataBank.

Together with Picis LYNX revenue management solutions, Picis offers the most complete clinical and financial solutions for the ED. Picis ED solutions automate more than 28 million patient visits annually in more than 700 hospitals throughout North America. Picis ED PulseCheck versions 4.0 and 4.1 are CCHIT 08 certified ED Electronic Health Record (EHR).

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 with European operations in Barcelona and London, Picis has licensed systems for use in more than 1,700 hospitals in 19 countries. More information is available at www.picis.com.

About First DataBank
First DataBank, a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation, drives patient safety and healthcare quality by providing drug databases that are used within information systems that touch every aspect of healthcare. For 30 years, we have partnered with system developers to integrate and optimize our drug information to improve user workflow and enhance clinical decision making by those entrusted with treating patients at the point-of-need. For more information about First DataBank, call 800-633-3453 or visit www.firstdatabank.com.

© 2009 Picis, Inc. All rights reserved. Picis, the Picis logo, CareSuite and ED PulseCheck may be a trademark or registered trademark of Picis, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the properties of their respective owners. This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, Picis’ expectations concerning the functionality and market acceptance of its products, and management’s plans, objectives and strategies. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Picis’ control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements.