McKesson's Paragon Hospital Information System Demonstrates Strong Market Growth

Cardiovascular provider joins more than 250 facilities selecting the integrated HIS

McKesson’s Paragon hospital information system (HIS) is now the solution of choice in more than 250 healthcare facilities nationwide. This milestone speaks to McKesson’s ongoing mission of delivering a contemporary, integrated, Microsoft-based HIS to meet the clinical, physician and financial needs of America’s hospitals and health systems. The growth of Paragon is a reflection of the platform’s continued evolution into the large hospital market. It also exemplifies McKesson’s Better Health 2020 strategy, designed to help organizations use technology strategically to improve outcomes and address the complex challenges of health reform.

Cardiovascular Care Group (CCG), a physician-led, patient-centered provider based in Nashville, Tenn., is one of the many healthcare organizations recently selecting Paragon. CCG chose Paragon as part of its ongoing strategy to build a national network of regionally integrated healthcare delivery systems. CCG expects to improve care by standardizing clinical and financial data and processes across its facilities. It also expects to provide caregivers with easy access to patient medical records for its geographically diverse patient populations.

“Our mission is to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cardiovascular diseases through physician-led and patient-centric integrated care,” said Harry Jacobson, MD, chairman, Cardiovascular Care Group. “However, fragmentation often hinders quality and increases costs. Paragon will help us remove these barriers by delivering relevant patient information to physicians in a single system. It’s key that this technology comes from a company that we know and trust, with a track record of success and a commitment to innovation.”

Paragon is a modern solution designed for hospitals and health systems of all sizes – with current customers ranging from large multi-facility health systems to community hospitals and critical access facilities. Its single-database platform provides a straightforward solution that enables healthcare providers to coordinate care across multiple settings.

The HIS also offers a competitive total cost of ownership by requiring less hardware and fewer IT resources, eliminating the need to support and manage redundant data. Hospitals and health systems often select Paragon for its rapid time to value through its quick implementation process – 14 months on average.

CCG was familiar with Paragon because of the previous success and experience it had with the HIS at Louisiana Medical Center & Heart Hospital (LMCHH), a 137‐bed general acute-care facility acquired by CCG in 2011. LMCHH serves the greater New Orleans market and ranks among the country’s top cardiovascular care hospitals.

Building on that success, CCG now will use Paragon at its Bakersfield Heart Hospital, a leading provider of heart and vascular care in Kern County California. Paragon will enhance services and coordinate care for patients in a rapidly growing area that has one of the state’s highest diabetes and obesity rates. Real-time access to data is particularly essential in managing patients with cardiovascular disease, a systemic illness that requires close cooperation between primary care physicians and specialists at every stage of the disease — from screening and acute care to rehabilitation, prevention and chronic care.

“Healthcare industry consolidation is creating more multi-facility organizations, which need to reduce the complexity of managing their systems and operations while improving patient outcomes and staff efficiency,” said Jim Pesce, president, Enterprise Information Solutions, McKesson Technology Solutions. “Our partnerships with progressive organizations like CCG illustrate McKesson’s commitment to combine business insights with technology solutions to address our customers’ most critical challenges today and in the future.”

About Cardiovascular Care Group
Cardiovascular Care Group is a physician-led patient-centered company that partners with cardiovascular specialists and other physicians to design and build regional care delivery systems that integrate care across the continuum of cardiovascular care. Working closely with the existing healthcare network, CCG and its physician partners focus on coordinating the delivery of evidence-based cardiovascular care to achieve improved clinical outcomes, at lower costs and with improved quality of life for the patients they serve. For more information, visit www.cardiovascularcaregroup.com.

About McKesson Corporation
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 14th on the FORTUNE 500 list, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. We partner with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational, and clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.