Siemens/Zynx Alliance Supports Quality and Safety at the Point of Care

Pinnacle Health Among First in Nation to Empower Nurses with Evidence-Based Knowledge

Los Angeles & Malvern, Pa., Aug 1, 2006, Supporting a new standard in superior patient care delivery at Pinnacle Health System, a four-hospital health system in Harrisburg, Pa., Siemens Medical Solutions (www.usa.siemens.com/medical) and Zynx Health (www.zynx.com) have successfully delivered evidence-based clinical knowledge to where it matters most - at the point of care. Among the first in the industry to do so, Pinnacle’s three-phase pilot program has integrated ZynxCareTM nursing content with Siemens’ clinical documentation solutions to support evidence-based practices and facilitate decision-making at the bedside - ultimately helping to improve clinical outcomes.

“Together with Siemens and Zynx, we have pushed past clinical boundaries to deliver the evidence our nurses need to make decisions based on the most recent research available,” said Sheri Matter, RN, BSN, MS, chief nursing officer, Pinnacle Health. “By populating our plans of care with nursing knowledge and evidence, we are making it easier than ever to use the right information, at the right time, and in the right form.”

“The integration of evidence-based care within the EHR is the future of healthcare,” said Rosemary Kennedy, RN, MBA, chief nursing informatics officer, Siemens Medical Solutions. “By bringing clinical knowledge to the bedside, we are providing nurses with a reference shelf of vital care information at their fingertips. With this, nurses are spending less time executing orders and tracking down information, and more time managing patient problems and providing quality patient care - making evidence-based patient care a daily standard, rather than the exception.”

Siemens, Zynx and Pinnacle Health partnered in 2005 to develop the three-phase program. Currently in its final phase, the program has brought significant value to Pinnacle Health, including a notable reduction in time spent developing institutional guidelines of care - a process that previously took months is now accomplished in just days - and has elevated the critical thinking process and collaboration between care teams.

“The alliance of Zynx, Siemens and Pinnacle demonstrates the true vision of the ZynxCare product,” said Patricia Button, EdD, RN, director of nursing content, Zynx Health. “Nurses and members of the interdisciplinary care team are able to provide care at the bedside based on the most current industry research without any need to interrupt their workflow.”

Starting with access to referential content, the first phase of the pilot provided links to Zynx evidence for four nursing-sensitive performance measures: patient falls, acute pain, pressure ulcers and smoking cessation. The second phase customized the evidence-based plans of care specifically for the health organization, seamlessly integrating the content within Siemens’ care planning and documentation applications to address key patient issues at Pinnacle: pain management; prevention of surgical site infection; prevention of ventilator-acquired pneumonia; tissue perfusion and fall prevention.

“With access to tightly integrated referential clinical content, our nurses are shifting from task-based documentation to knowledge-based decision making,” said Matter. “Pinnacle’s partnership with Siemens and Zynx is a compelling testament to how health providers can integrate the industry’s best available evidence into nursing workflow to transform the future of quality patient care.”

Zynx Health 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. Evidence is made actionable in multiple forms including order sets, interdisciplinary plans of care, alerts, and reminders. More than 1,100 providers nationwide have partnered with Zynx to address regulatory initiatives, optimize pay-for-performance reimbursement and help measurably improve the quality, safety and efficiency of patient care. For more information about Zynx Health, visit www.zynx.com or call 888.333.ZYNX (9969).

About Siemens Medical Solutions

Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) with headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Erlangen, Germany, is one of the largest suppliers to the healthcare industry in the world. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Employing approximately 33,000 people worldwide and operating in more than 120 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 7.6 billion EUR, orders of 8.6 billion EUR and group profit of 976 million EUR for fiscal 2005. More information can be obtained by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.

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Molly Grasso

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Siemens Medical Solutions

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