CPOE Empowering Physician Decision-making

A number of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems and components will be on display at HIMSS this year. The systems are more dynamic and full-featured, granting physicians powerful access to the latest patient information which can help prevent medication conflicts, for example, or help keep a caregiver up-to-date about test results and other essential information.

Many of the systems are web-based and also can navigate through numerous applications for streamlined use and overall efficiency to boost care and safety. In short, the latest in CPOE goes beyond just providing a means for physicians to create orders; it becomes a support tool that can greatly improve overall care.

Cerner Corp. (booths #2813, 2712) is displaying the Cerner Millennium which includes CPOE, pharmacy and nursing applications. The company is detailing two recent successful installs of the system by Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle and the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and Nemours Children's Clinic in Wilmington, Del.

Cerner's CPOE system enables clinicians to unify the medication management process, bringing the physician, pharmacist and nurse together from order through administration. Other potential benefits to the system are drops in acute-care medication delivery time; a reduced order-entry time from physician order to pharmacy execution; a decline in incomplete orders; and an elimination of handwriting and abbreviation errors on orders, the company says.

Eclipsys Corp. (booth #3933) is showcasing the latest release of its Sunrise Clinical Suite - the Sunrise 4.5 XA with 1,500 new or enhanced capabilities for documenting care, creating orders, reviewing test results, and coding for maximum reimbursement - all on a single clinical platform. This release builds upon previous Sunrise releases on the XA platform, including the fully integrated capabilities of Eclipsys Sunrise Ambulatory Care Manager and Sunrise ED Manager. Additionally in Sunrise 4.5 XA, Eclipsys delivers the first truly integrated, end-to-end medication management solution in the industry.

GE Healthcare (booth #1719) is showcasing at HIMSS its pharmacy information system, Centricity Pharmacy. As the core of a medication management solution, the system enables productivity and quality of care improvements by managing pharmacy department end-to-end workflow. When the Pharmacy system is deployed with GE's Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) and bar code-enabled Medication Administration Record (MAR) modules it completes a closed loop medication management suite that is designed to aid in the practice of evidence-based medicine while streamlining workflow. Centricity Pharmacy also can be deployed with existing CPOE and electronic MAR solutions to help ensure consistent delivery of safe and efficient care within the institution, the company says.

MEDITECH (booth #5033) is showcasing customer experiences with its Advanced Clinical and Advanced Business Systems which includes CPOE functionality.

Misys Healthcare Systems (booth #721) is highlighting its Misys CPR system which is an enterprise EHR that features a fully integrated CPOE process employing a single database and rules engine that spans all hospital departments and all venues of care. Misys CPR drives higher quality care with its advanced decision support capabilities, quality reporting module, and secure browser-based access to patient clinical information. The system also includes other features that physicians, nurses and pharmacists alike can utilize such as integrated medication management, and decision support-driven CPOE and enhanced nursing documentation, the company says.

Philip Medical Systems (booth #5017) is featuring the Xtenity Enterprise system, powered by Epic, which is able to provide physicians CPOE functionality at each point of care to ensure accurate documentation of medication and procedure orders. Order entry is part of Xtenity's clinical module and is integrated in both the system's inpatient and ambulatory applications. Xtenity's order entry guides clinicians in their decisions by incorporating drug/allergy interaction alerts and drug-drug interaction alerts into the ordering process.  These alerts notify providers of any potential problems, ensuring an efficient and safe process when entering orders.

Most of Xtenity's CPOE activities and workflows can be tailored individually using the system's tools and user-definable options. The system allows for special instructions on the orders, duplicate order checking, dose range checking and multiple clinicians can place orders on the same patient record at the same time throughout the enterprise. Xtenity's CPOE functionality also allows for complex medications including sliding scale, tapering doses and custom IVs.

Siemens Medical Solutions (booth #1237) is emphasizing its technology to boost patient safety and closed-loop medication processing through the combination of its systems for CPOE, Pharmacy Information, and Med Administration Check, which uses bar code technology to alert nurses to potential medication administration errors.

Siemens is demonstrating how its CPOE tools provide point-of-care access to patient data, with embedded support for collaborative decision making and care delivery. Key features include online alerts which notify clinicians of medication conflicts, allergies, drug-to-drug interactions, duplicate checking, and other patient safety considerations. Through integration with the Siemens Rules Engine, this feature can include patient-specific alerts, such as notification of lab results and diagnoses, and can incorporate complex data calculations, the company says.

The web browser has simple point-and-click navigation tools which promotes physician acceptance and system adoption. The browser provides users with pathways engineered across applications to speed tasks, and makes it easier for clinicians to make the right decisions at the right time.

Siemens CPOE tools facilitate measurable results such as fewer errors, increased compliance, reduced cycle times and reduced length of stay. The company believes that effective CPOE is not just about entering orders, but instead about improving the entire care delivery process - with an interactive care model that supports decision-making and reduces variance in care, according to the company.