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Electronic Medical Records Save Money, Lives, Time for Physicians' Practice; Use of Healthcare IT Boosts Bottom Line for 15-Member Delaware Group

Posted on: Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 09:01 CDT

The benefits of information technology are well known for large hospitals and healthcare organizations, but emerging data from physician practice groups is beginning to tell another story of IT success. Delaware Cardiovascular Associates (DCA), with 15 cardiologists and seven offices throughout the state, made its initial foray into automation in 2000 with Cerner, the nation's leading provider of healthcare IT. Since that time, the practice has:

-- Increased annual revenues by $300,000 by reducing appointment no-shows from six to four percent

-- Increased revenues per cardiologist by $76,000 annually through improved coding practices

-- Reduced reimbursement time from 40 days to less than 11 using an automated record-keeping system

In total, DCA estimates a net total return on its IT investment of almost $2 million.

"By implementing Cerner's physician practice technology, we've improved our quality and efficiency while optimizing revenues," said Dr. Anthony Alfieri, managing partner for Delaware Cardiovascular Associates. "The solutions are saving our office time and money, but I think more importantly, they have raised the level of care we give."

The use of electronic medical records directly contributes to DCA's ability to save lives. In 2001, for example, manufacturers recalled a lipid-lowering medication that proved to cause a sometimes fatal adverse muscle reaction. The staff quickly searched more than 40,000 electronic records to identify patients taking the drug. In less than 24 hours, the 138 affected patients were contacted and successfully transitioned to alternate treatments. Additionally, the electronic medical record eliminated 100 percent of chart pulls, granting the office considerable time to dedicate to those in their care.

By selecting Cerner, DCA chose a supplier with strength in numbers. Cerner has more 4,300 Cerner Millennium(R) solutions live at nearly 860 client facilities around the world, providing technology solutions for a diverse client base, from independent physicians to nationwide healthcare organizations.

"The success of Delaware Cardiovascular Associates validates our belief that with greater adoption of physician practice solutions, care providers will realize greater reduction in errors, administrative friction and an increase in care efficiency and patient communication," said Trace Devanny, Cerner president.

Cerner Corp. is taking the paper chart out of healthcare, eliminating error, variance and waste in the care process. With more than 1,500 clients worldwide, Cerner is the leading supplier of healthcare information technology. The following are trademarks of Cerner: Cerner, Cerner Millennium, Cerner's logo. NASDAQ: CERN. www.cerner.com.

This release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. It is important to note that the Company's performance, and actual results, financial condition or business could differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. The words "estimates", "belief" and "will" or the negative of these words, variations thereof or similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: changes in the healthcare industry, significant competition, the Company's proprietary technology may be subjected to infringement claims or may be infringed upon, government regulations, the possibility of product-related liabilities, possible errors or failures in the performance of the Company's software, the recruitment and retention of key personnel, risks related to third party suppliers, and failure of the parties to achieve the intended benefits. Additional discussion of these and other factors affecting the Company's business is contained in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in future operating results, financial condition or business over time.

Source: Business Wire

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