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COVENANT PHYSICIANS USE ADVANCED WIRELESS SOFTWARE TO ENHANCE PATIENT CARE
Saginaw, MI – November 21, 2005 – Covenant HealthCare announced today that their physicians are using the award-winning PatientKeeper Platform™ to access essential patient information with mobile devices such as PDAs and Smartphones. Clinical data – such as lab results, test results, medication lists, clinical notes, drug reference, and more – can now be easily accessed at bedside and beyond as the result of the hospital's investment in this advanced wireless software. "We were amazed at how excited our physicians were to get the product," said Keith Grantham, director of information technology at Covenant HealthCare. "We started our deployment with a small group of 12 physicians in August. When our physicians saw the product in use, they began asking for it and our user group grew to almost 40 users within a month prior to our formal launch. At our formal deployment in early October, over 175 physicians signed up to receive the product." Dr. Omer Mirza, a hospitalist, was involved with the pilot of PatientKeeper and became captivated with the device. "Computer systems are making inroads to medicine slowly but surely and this is cutting edge," Dr. Mirza says. "It enables physicians to have access to patient data wherever we may be in the hospital. Moving around between units is not a problem anymore. When we get phone calls or pages about a patient, the device allows us to pull up accurate and complete information about the patient. We can see lab and x-ray reports right away." "In the advent of electronic medical records (EMR), PatientKeeper makes it easy to access the most current information about patients," notes John Kosanovich, MD, Covenant vice president of medical affairs. "Physicians don't have to look for a free workstation to pull up lab and test results. They don't have to call nurses to look up information. This saves time – time that doctors, and nurses, can spend with patients to provide better care and service." The initiative includes implementation of PatientKeeper Clinical Results™, PatientKeeper Clinical Desktop™, and PatientKeeper Provider Directory™. Physicians can manage rounding lists, patient information, and provider contact information using their Palm OS® or Windows Mobile® devices, and tablets or PCs running a web browser. "We are very happy that Covenant HealthCare has made PatientKeeper a key part of its information technology program," said Paul W. Brient, president and chief executive officer of PatientKeeper. "Providing the physicians at Covenant easy access to information helps ensures that the best possible care and service are delivered to patients." About Covenant HealthCare Covenant HealthCare is the sixth largest hospital in Michigan, providing care to people in 20+ counties throughout the East Central Michigan area. With 20 inpatient and outpatient facilities including two hospitals, Covenant offers comprehensive medical services including cardiovascular, neurosciences, orthopedics, obstetrics, emergency and trauma care, and LifeNet air ambulance. Covenant HealthCare also provides the region's only neonatal and pediatric/pediatric intensive care units to serve the health needs of children. About PatientKeeper PatientKeeper offers a broad range of mobile applications that support the workflow of physicians and other healthcare professionals. The products include: PatientKeeper Clinical Results™, PatientKeeper Charge Capture™, PatientKeeper Mobile Dictation™, PatientKeeper ePrescription™ (Powered by DrFirst), and PatientKeeper Reference Library™. In addition, PatientKeeper supports Palm OS®, PocketPC-based devices, and any tablet or PC running a web browser – allowing physicians to utilize the computer platform most appropriate and convenient for their work. PatientKeeper®, Inc. provides healthcare professionals with mobile computing solutions that deliver clinical and financial benefits. The PatientKeeper Platform easily integrates with existing information systems. PatientKeeper and its partners have created a portfolio of applications that allow doctors to interactively manage patient information, view clinical results, enter charges, dictate notes, write prescriptions, reference the clinical knowledge base, and more. PatientKeeper is the first place winner of the 2005 TEPR Award for Mobile Applications for use in Healthcare. For more information, visit www.patientkeeper.com or call 617-987-0300. # # # Contact: Stephen S. Hau, PatientKeeper, shau@patientkeeper.com, (617) 987-0304 |