Good Samaritan Hospital Increases Clinical Efficiency with McKesson PACS

Rapid PACS migration marks launch of Catholic Health Initiatives` national IT
strategy
ATLANTA--(Business Wire)--
McKesson announced today that Good Samaritan Hospital of Kearney, Neb., a member
of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), has successfully completed a fast-track
implementation of the Horizon Medical Imaging picture archiving and
communications system (PACS). The rapid migration has led to increased clinical
efficiency as a result of workflow improvements. In addition, the number of
calls to the hospital`s 24-hour support line has decreased from a daily average
of 25 to just three.

McKesson`s PACS was selected to replace another vendor`s PACS system. The new
system will work with the hospital`s current radiology information system to
bring together images from multiple modalities with clinical patient data. This
implementation was the first step in CHI`s national initiative to convert from
an existing PACS to the McKesson solution by 2011. The hospital also went live
with McKesson`s cardiovascular information system.

Good Samaritan, a 287-bed regional referral center, is located in rural central
Nebraska and provides care to more than 350,000 residents of central Nebraska
and southeastern Kansas. The hospital`s physicians also reach out to 34 smaller
remote hospitals, providing on-site care as needed. Due to the upgrades needed
for its current PACS, the hospital decided that the fiscally responsible choice
was to install McKesson`s solution.

"We`re the only level II trauma center in our area, so we couldn`t afford to
stumble over technology issues during the transition," explained Tim Fowlkes,
PACS administrator, Good Samaritan Hospital. "The new solution had to offer the
advanced tools to meet our imaging needs across two states, and meet them
quickly and seamlessly."

To help ensure a smooth transition to the new system, McKesson team members met
regularly with hospital representatives and members of CHI`s management
information systems department, enabling migration in just five months. Fowlkes
also credits McKesson`s "train-the-trainer" approach, which employs "super
users" of the technology to provide peer support, for preparing radiologists and
staff for the change. "Implementation was flawless-from design to training to
launch," said Fowlkes.

Clinician adoption of the new PACS also has been extremely strong. "Now, we hear
comments like, `I love this system!` and we have buy-in on our IT strategy like
never before," Fowlkes said. "Physicians and staff have embraced the McKesson
system because it does what they want it to do, it`s easy to use and, most
importantly, it enables them to deliver better patient care."

Previously, users had difficulty creating hanging protocols that worked properly
without the need for physicians to repeatedly re-create them. With the McKesson
PACS, radiologists create personalized display protocols that map to their
specific workflow needs. The new technology also allows Good Samaritan`s
radiology department to achieve better integration with its other third-party
software systems.

Improved cross-departmental communications is yet another benefit. "The McKesson
PACS has brought together departments that were previously siloed," Fowlkes
said. "Now, our departments function like a family-a team that works together
toward the success of everyone involved."

About Good Samaritan Hospital

Established by the Sisters of the Saint Francis in 1924, Good Samaritan Hospital
is a 287-bed regional referral center in Kearney, Nebraska. Now a member of
Catholic Health Initiatives, Good Samaritan provides specialty care to more than
350,000 residents of central Nebraska and northern Kansas. Good Samaritan boasts
Nebraska's first accredited Chest Pain Center, a Level II trauma center
featuring AirCare emergency helicopter transport, advanced orthopedic care,
comprehensive neurosurgery and a nationally accredited cancer center among its
many unique tertiary care services.

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare
services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers
deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and
improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson has been in
continuous operation for more than 175 years, making it the longest-operating
company in healthcare today. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown
by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the
spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians,
homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for
manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more
information, visit http://www.mckesson.com.

McKesson
Yancey Casey, 404-338-2468
yancey.casey@mckesson.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009