Partners launches Web-based system - Physician Order Entry - Brief Article

Health Management Technology, Jan, 2003

Partners HealthCare went live in October with a new Web-based physician order entry (POE) system that it expects will continue to decrease adverse drug reactions and save Brigham and Women's hospital millions of dollars annually. The Web-based POE system is used by 200 nurses and 20 physicians in neonatal intensive care who place 400 new drug orders each 12-hour shift. Most of the 1,400 infant patients served annually by the unit weigh between 2.5 pounds and 5.5 pounds, and slight variations in medications make a huge difference. Built on the CACHE post-relational database from InterSystems Corp., the system automatically calculates prescription dosages based on a baby's weight, then places drug orders directly to the hospital's pharmacy, eliminating errors that could occur when prescriptions are written by hand.

The Web-based system is an extension of a client/server network POE system that helped reduce adverse drug reactions by 17 percent and saved as much as $10 million annually. For more information from the supplier, visit InterSystems at www.rsleads.com/301ht-202.