Memphis, Tenn., June 22, 2005 – Baptist Memorial Health Care signed a contract today with McKesson Corporation to begin installation of its Horizon Clinicals™ suite of products – an integrated clinical information system – for six of the health care system’s hospitals.

This multiyear project will move Baptist closer to a paperless environment, from electronic patient charting and documentation to automated delivery systems, at Baptist Memorial’s largest hospitals – Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto, Baptist Memorial Restorative Care Hospital, Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.

“This is the largest project – in size, scope and magnitude – we’ve undertaken since opening Baptist Memorial Hospital in 1912,” said David Hogan, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Baptist Memorial. “When this project is complete, our clinical documentation system will rival those of the top hospitals in the United States.”

The clinical information system will help enhance patient care and quality at Baptist Memorial hospitals – allowing health care providers to make more timely and informed decisions because of secure Web-based access to complete patient records from any location, at any time. It also will eliminate manual documentation – resulting in increased accuracy – and will provide real-time results and alerts for changes in patients’ conditions, medication needs, etc.

“Installing this system involves more than adding new technology – it’s a complete culture shift, changing the way our colleagues and physicians take care of patients,” said Beverly Jordan, vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer for Baptist Memorial. “The system will enhance efficiency and provide better communication among staff and physicians. But the biggest advantage of this system is its potential to raise the level of care we provide our patients. That’s the most important reason for any change at our hospitals.”

The first phase of Baptist’s initiative will include implementation of McKesson’s Horizon Passport™ system, necessary for the identification of patient records, followed by the installation of the Horizon Clinical Infrastructure™. This will be the foundation for the entire system.

Baptist Memphis started pharmacy automation in October 2004 with Robot-Rx™, a stationary robotic system that uses bar code technology to dispense medication for all hospital patients. This technology will be integrated with Baptist’s clinical documentation system, as well.

“We’re excited about this partnership with McKesson and the implications it will have for the health care community in Memphis,” said Richard Drewry, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer at Baptist. “This project is a tremendous opportunity to leverage the expertise of both organizations in providing higher quality care and better health outcomes for patients.”

McKesson Corporation is a Fortune 16 health care services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality health care by reducing costs, streamlining processes and improving the quality and safety of patient care. During the course of its 170-year history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; health care information technology for hospitals, physicians, home care and payers; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payers designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, please visit www.mckesson.com.

The Baptist Memorial Health Care system, which consists of 15 hospitals and 2,500 affiliated physicians across Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, includes minor medical centers, home health and hospice services, behavioral health centers and a rehabilitation network that contains about half the rehabilitation beds in the Mid-South area. Baptist has 2,577 licensed beds systemwide, employs more than 11,000 people and has more than 83,000 admissions annually. For more information, please visit www.baptistonline.org or call (800) 4-BAPTIST.

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