US Oncology to Demonstrate iKnowMed™ in the EHR Vendor Lab at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- iKnowMed™ has been selected to participate in the fifth annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Electronic Health Records (EHR) Lab to be held June 4-6 at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. ASCO is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. iKnowMed, an oncology-specific EHR developed by oncologists to meet the unique needs of cancer patients and community-based oncology practices, is a product of McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology – a division of McKesson Corporation.

The ASCO EHR Lab provides a unique opportunity for vendors to demonstrate their EHR to ASCO members and Annual Meeting attendees including showcasing their product's ability to perform clinical decision support, chemotherapy ordering, and QOPI case selection. Visitors to the EHR Lab are able to compare different products, while also gaining hands-on experience with the latest EHR technology.

"US Oncology recognizes that proper documentation is an essential aspect of top-quality patient care," says Asif Ahmad, Clinical and Technology Services, McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology.  "Having secure patient records and the appropriate oncology decision support tools easily available can ensure patients get the right medication, can help keep cancer care teams focused on the patient rather than the paperwork, and can help further the science of medicine. We are eager to participate in the ASCO EHR Lab at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting."

"ASCO supports the adoption of electronic health records and other technology to improve the quality of cancer care," said Dr. Peter Yu, Chair of ASCO's Health IT Work Group. "Among other initiatives, the ASCO EHR Lab is an annual event for oncology professionals to research EHR technology and network with leaders in the field of EHR development. We are excited to host the EHR lab at our upcoming Annual Meeting with US Oncology as one of our key vendors."

McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology plans to integrate its top-ranked iKnowMed EHR with Lynx Mobile, McKesson Specialty Care Solutions' leading inventory management, charge capture and reporting solution. This will provide an even more user-friendly clinical workflow application with robust decision support and flexibility that meets the requirements laid out for meaningful use certification.

Currently, iKnowMed is implemented in more than 200 sites nationwide. The web-based EHR allows practices to have 24/7 immediate access to comprehensive patient charts, detailed cancer diagnosis and staging content, and an extensive up-to-date cancer regimen library that allows them to make treatment decisions from anywhere at any time, without the need of a patient's paper record. iKnowMed EHR further enhances patient safety in the practice through the elimination of handwritten notes and drug orders, which minimizes inaccuracies, and through safety alerts generated through the system when it detects possible medication conflicts or high toxicity levels in each patient. The system also has the ability to identify patients for appropriate clinical trials  available at the practice and suggest evidence-based treatment options  with point-of-care decision support.

To learn more about ASCO's EHR Lab, visit www.asco.org/ehrlab or visit the ASCO EHR Lab at booth number 17101 at the ASCO Annual Meeting.

About McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology

McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology, a division of McKesson Corporation, empowers the community patient care delivery system to advance the science, technology and quality of care. Through innovative clinical, research, business and operational solutions, facilitated by integrated technology systems, we improve the financial health of our customers and help them provide quality care for patients. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com/specialty and www.usoncology.com.

About iKnowMed™

McKesson Specialty Care Solutions | US Oncology's iKnowMed™ Web-based oncology-specific electronic health record (EHR) system has been designed by oncologists to enhance the patient experience and advance the science of cancer care. iKnowMed goes beyond delivering standard EHR features by leveraging technology that helps physicians focus on clinical excellence and cost-effectiveness in community cancer care. With more than 975,000 patient records; 6,800 concurrent users; and nearly 1,000 provider users, the system provides insight into quality patient care and serves as a decision support tool at the point of care by providing staging and diagnosis suggestions according to criteria from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). The system also allows access to US Oncology's Level I Pathways -- evidence-based medicine -- and screens new patients for potential clinical trial eligibility for open trials available at the practice. For more information call (866) 216-5053 or visit www.iKnowMed.com.

SOURCE US Oncology