Iowa Health System Initiates Pilot Study with Payer

Business Wire, Jan 10, 2008

Performance Incentive Tied to Adherence to Evidence-Based Order Sets Provided by Zynx Health

LOS ANGELES & DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa Health System (IHS) announced that along with a local payer it has initiated a pilot study which will seek to evaluate the relationship between patient outcomes and the use of evidence-based order sets provided by Zynx Health.

The year-long study will measure adherence to order sets developed using ZynxOrder[TM], a Web-based knowledge management system with more than 500 evidence-based order sets, alerts, and reminders. Based at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, the study will aim to link increased adherence to evidence-based healthcare with improved patient outcomes.

"This collaborative effort between a payer and the state's largest health system holds the promise of improving the health status of a significant number of patients," says Kent Bottles, MD, chief medical officer for Iowa Health System.

David Rhew, MD, vice president of content development for Zynx Health, adds: "Through this project, Iowa Health System has strengthened its commitment to evidence-based healthcare. Zynx is proud to supply evidence-based order set content for this important initiative."

About Iowa Health System

Iowa Health System is a community-based organization of physicians, hospitals, civic leaders, and local volunteers who share a vision of affordable, accessible healthcare. It is built on a mutual understanding to translate shared knowledge and experience into a system that works to deliver healthcare services of the highest possible quality and the lowest possible cost. Created in 1995, Iowa Health System is the state's first and largest integrated healthcare system. It operates facilities in seven large Iowa communities and Rock Island, Illinois; supports a system of rural hospitals in 14 Iowa communities; and partners with physicians and clinics in more than 80 communities in Iowa, western Illinois, and eastern Nebraska. For more information, visit http://www.ihs.org.

About St. Luke's Hospital

As a leader in community healthcare, St. Luke's is a fully accredited 560-bed hospital. Founded in 1884 as Cedar Rapids' first hospital, St. Luke's today offers a diverse range of patient care services with particular strengths in cardiac care, rehabilitation, obstetrics, and trauma care. St. Luke's was awarded Solucient's 100 Top Hospitals award two consecutive years (2004 and 2005), which is a testament to all who work there. The hospital is also affiliated with Iowa Health System and is ranked among the top 25 integrated health systems. For more information, visit http://www.stlukescr.org.

About Zynx Health

Zynx Health, a subsidiary of HEARST Corporation, is the leading provider of evidence-based clinical decision support. The Zynx team of physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals rigorously review the latest peer-reviewed literature to develop clinical summaries and distill evidence-based best practices to help improve the quality of patient care. More than 1,400 hospitals nationwide trust evidence-based decision support from Zynx Health to address regulatory initiatives, optimize pay-for-performance reimbursement, and measurably improve the quality and safety of patient care. For more information about Zynx Health, visit http://www.zynx.com or call 888-333-ZYNX (9969).