OREANDA-NEWS. November 28, 2012. One good deed deserves another. McKesson Corporation is taking the philosophy to heart by giving more than USD1 million worth of electronic health record software to physicians who provide charity care to the needy across the country, reported the press-centre of McKesson.

McKesson plans on providing McKesson Practice Choice™ software, a Web-based, integrated electronic health record (EHR) and practice management solution, to 100 physicians who provide unreimbursed healthcare to America’s neediest citizens. The selected physicians will receive a free 26-month license to the software, which typically carries a USD 399 per month fee for each physician– making the total McKesson reward worth \\\$1,037,400. The program aligns with McKesson’s Better Health 2020™, a healthcare IT initiative designed to help healthcare providers achieve better patient care, better business health and better connectivity in their communities.

"Leaders in the healthcare industry have recognized EHR technology as a 'must have' for many years now. Ironically, though, where the technology is perhaps most needed – in the practices serving patients who are struggling to access care – it is often the least accessible. At McKesson, we are doing what we can to help physicians change that equation," said David Henriksen, senior vice president, McKesson's Physician Practice Solutions. "These physicians who are helping struggling Americans that are in great need of healthcare services can leverage our solution to help them practice more effectively and improve patient care outcomes. Additionally, since McKesson Practice Choice can seamlessly communicate with health information exchanges, physicians can improve the quality of care because greater communication exists between care points."

McKesson Practice Choice is a fully integrated EHR and practice management solution designed specifically for small independent primary care practices. The Web-based solution offers clinical, financial, operational and patient tools on a single database. Physicians can access software, certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), from any location with an Internet connection. The use of exclusive Smart Note technology enables charting of progress notes on a single screen, with key data elements automatically populating all pertinent fields throughout a patient's chart. As a result, clinicians can spend more time with patients, and less time documenting care.

A McKesson committee will select physicians from applicants in the 10 metropolitan areas with the largest impoverished populations to receive the free software. These cities include: Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Miami, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Memphis and Newark.

To qualify for the software, physician practices must be either primary care, internal medicine, family practice, gynecology, or pediatric practitioners; be in private practice, (not hospital employed); work in a 1-10 physician practice; have a demonstrated history of providing unreimbursed care to the low-income community for six months or more; have broadband or high speed Internet connectivity in the location where the physician expects to use the software. To learn more about the program or to complete an application, visit www.mckessongivesback.com.

McKesson is hoping that its good deed will spur others to join the effort to improve the business of care for these deserving physicians and their patients. McKesson is calling upon other corporations to help by providing free hardware, Internet services, office furniture and other necessary technology and supplies to the program.

About McKesson Corporation
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 14th on the FORTUNE 500, 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 us at www.mckesson.com.