McKesson has predicted that approximately 1,500 physicians will eventually be using the system to create an electronic health record (EHR), including primary care providers, internists, pediatricians and orthopedists. McKesson says Duke will pursue a rapid rollout of e-prescribing, then phase in the full use of ambulatory EHRs.
According to McKesson, Duke will begin its deployment with the Horizon Expert Prescribing system, which electronically connects physicians, patients, pharmacy benefit managers and retail pharmacies while claiming to improve patient safety, drive community-wide efficiencies and reduce costs.
Dr Victor Dzau, Duke’s chancellor for health affairs, said, This new initiative with McKesson expands our efforts into outpatient settings with the goal of establishing a world-class electronic health record that supports continuity of care across both inpatient and outpatient settings. Whether a patient goes to the physician office, an outpatient clinic or the hospital, information such as allergies, known health problems and existing medical orders should be easily accessible to the clinicians providing treatment.
