MS & Pharmacies (fwd)

[Peter Marshall <rocque@eskimo.com>]

  > [Beyond the PR, the smell of info-privacy "rats?"  pm]
  > 
  > > Leading Pharmaceutical Software Firm Taps Microsoft Internet
  >    Technologies
  > > for Pharmacy Re-Engineering PDX to Transform Retail Pharmacies Into
  > > Comprehensive Health-Management ..
  > >
  > > Source: PR Newswire
  > >
  > > REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire
  > 
  >   Microsoft Corp.
  > > today announced that PDX, a leading supplier of pharmacy
  > > software, has selected Microsoft(R) Internet technologies to anchor its
  > > re-engineering of retail pharmacies. Using the Windows NT(R) platform
  >   and
  > > ActiveX(TM) Technologies, PDX will link physicians, pharmacists and
  >    patients
  > > via the Internet, making efficient, comprehensive health management as
  >    close
  > > as the nearest drugstore -- or computer keyboard.
  > >
  > > The announcement signals that the front lines of preventive health care
  >    are
  > > moving closer to home, and that pharmacists can expect to play a new,
  > > significant role in helping maintain patients' health.
  > >
  > > "Pharmacists are becoming much more active in disease and wellness
  > > management," said Ken Hill Sr., president and founder of PDX. "That
  >    trend
  > > will only continue."
  > >
  > > The PDX initiative comes at a time when managed care is forcing health
  >   are
  > > provider organizations to shift from managing revenues to overseeing
  > > reductions in operating costs, all while improving the quality of patient
  > > care.
  > >
  > > As smaller health care organizations become part of larger provider
  > > networks, there is a need to coordinate information among multiple
  >   parties
  > > -- including hospitals, physicians' offices, laboratories and insurance
  > > companies -- to create an integrated health care delivery system.
  > >
  > > To meet this need, PDX will target its initial efforts at the area of
  > > prescription services. The company's Windows(R) operating
  >    system-based
  > > systems will enable physicians to submit prescription orders
  >   electronically,
  > > reducing the chance of error and speeding delivery of medication.
  > > Pharmacists can notify doctors when they dispense medicine, or they
  >   can ask
  > > questions about a particular drug therapy, all electronically. Patients
  >   who
  > > need a prescription refill can request one through e-mail.
  > >
  > > It is after pharmacists provide medication, however, that PDX promises
  >   to
  > > dramatically change their roles. Using PDX(R) systems, pharmacies will
  >    be
  > > able to develop patient histories that include clinical, prescriptive,
  > > disease-state and allergy information. They can then use this
  >   information to
  > > counsel patients on everything from appropriate exercise and diet
  >   regimens
  > > to eliminating sources of stress in their lives.
  > >
  > > The PDX approach also creates an online early-warning system for
  > > primary-care physicians. If a patient suffers side effects from a
  > > medication, a pharmacist can quickly consult a physician online for a
  >   change
  > > in the prescription. A pharmacist can also notify a physician
  >   electronically
  > > if a patient is not following dosage instructions. The physician can then
  > > change her or his refill instructions online to make future prescriptions
  > > contingent on an office visit.
  > >
  > > "This isn't a simple streamlining of an industry's operation, but a
  >   complete
  > > redefinition of its function," said Graham Clark, group manager of retail
  > > and distribution industries at Microsoft. "PDX hasn't just made the
  >   pharmacy
  > > more efficient; it has fundamentally re-engineered its business model."
  > >
  > > Hill of PDX called his company's approach a natural consequence of
  > > cost-conscious health care. "The only way we're going to increase
  >   wellness
  > > is to get patients involved -- and that means getting pharmacists out
  >   from
  > > behind the counter to actively support the therapies doctors are
  > > prescribing."
  > >
  > > PDX systems will also provide online access to each patient's medical
  > > history. And these histories will be portable. Patients can share them
  >   with
  > > whomever they choose -- doctors, pharmacies, insurance companies --
  >   and can
  > > change that access at will.
  > >
  > > "This is not about building a data warehouse," Hill said. "It's about
  > > getting patients the critical disease and wellness information they
  >    need so
  > > they can share it with those they trust to provide their health care."
  > >
  > > PDX chose Windows NT for its computing platform and ActiveX software
  >   to
  > > preserve client/server functionality across the Internet. The company's
  > > systems will also incorporate Java(TM) programming, making them a
  >   natural
  > > fit for Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, the Microsoft Web browser that
  > > supports both ActiveX and Java technologies.
  > >
  > > PDX will have access to Microsoft security software to preserve the
  > > integrity of its online transactions. Microsoft development tools will
  >    help
  > > the company reuse core software components as it develops new
  >    applications
  > > for other health care providers.
  > >
  > > "The primary concern of the health care industry is creating
  >   efficiencies
  > > that enable fast, effective care," said John Carpenter, worldwide health
  > > care industry manager at Microsoft. "Our Internet solutions can
  >    streamline
  > > the administration of health care so providers can concentrate on its
  >    most
  > > important aspect -- delivery."
  > >
  > > Hill praised Microsoft's strategy. "They understand the future of retail
  > > computing, that people will use objects instead of files, graphical user
  > > interfaces instead of character-based systems, and Internet-based
  >    networking
  > > instead of proprietary solutions," he said. "That's why we're excited
  >    about
  > > this relationship."
  > 
  > > SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
  > >
  > > /CONTACT: Kristen Phillips of Insync Partners, 503-226-8238, or
  > > krisp@insync-pr.com, for Microsoft Corp./ (MSFT)
  > >
  > > [09-18-96 at 09:00 EDT, PR Newswire]