Omnicell Co-Sponsors HL7 / IHE Joint Demonstration at HIMSS

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continuing its leadership in patient safety, Omnicell, Inc. will co-sponsor a live demonstration of interoperability technology at the 2004 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition being held February 22-26 in Orlando, Fla.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991203/SFF009 )

The Health Level Seven (HL7) / Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Interoperability Demonstration "is designed to heighten awareness of the importance and use of information technology standards in healthcare by showcasing how they are used now and pointing to new areas of application under development," said Wes Rishel, HL7 chair.

The demonstration will occupy nearly 2,500 square feet of prime exhibit space and is expected to draw widespread participation from healthcare IT and imaging vendors, providers, government and other professional organizations.

OmniGate(TM), Omnicell's new interface engine, supports HL7 version 2.x and the upcoming version 3 interoperability standards, as well as a variety of other formats, including fixed length record, delimited record, XML and X12 EDI files. OmniGate transforms and communicates data between disparate systems, improving communication from Omnicell's product line to a hospital's admissions, billing, pharmacy and materials management information systems.

"Omnicell has established itself as a leading provider of patient safety solutions preferred by nurses," explained Gary Wright, Omnicell's executive vice president of sales, marketing and field operations. "We provide end-to-end patient safety solutions with built-in communications technology that links the entire medication-use process, from central pharmacy to the patient's bedside. Our patient charge capture systems are also on the leading edge of healthcare communications. Healthcare technology that seamlessly communicates vital patient records is key to ensuring patient safety."

"The healthcare industry is seeking strong leadership in the area of interoperability," said Joyce Sensmeier, RN, director of professional services for HIMSS. "The lack of integration, implementation and use of standards is a barrier to the delivery of optimal patient care. Combining the resources of two industry initiatives that promote the use of standards will go far towards establishing that interoperability can be a reality."

The joint demonstration will feature healthcare scenarios such as: -- identifying an adverse drug event and preventing medication errors -- notifying the Food & Drug Administration and sponsors of clinical trials -- viewing clinical reports with links to related images -- integrating electronic records with public health reports -- driving the capture of patient charges, billing and claims attachments from clinical observations

HL7 and IHE will each provide educational sessions in addition to the live technical demonstration.

About Omnicell

Established in 1992, Omnicell is a leading provider of patient safety solutions preferred by nurses. Addressing the medication-use process and the medical-surgical supply chain, Omnicell's broad range of solutions are used throughout the healthcare facility -- in the pharmacy, nursing units, operating room, cardiac cath lab, and all the way to the patient's bedside. Improving patient care by enhancing operational efficiency, Omnicell's end-to-end solutions include systems for physician order management, automated pharmacy retrieval, medication packaging, medication and supply dispensing, open bar code supply management, nursing workflow automation at the bedside, and Web-based procurement. More than 1,400 healthcare facilities use Omnicell's solutions to reduce medication errors, operate more efficiently, and decrease costs -- ultimately contributing to improved clinical and financial outcomes. For more information, visit http://www.omnicell.com/.

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991203/SFF009

AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/

PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840 Omnicell, Inc.

CONTACT: Bruce Lewis of Lewis & Summers Public Relations,
+1-707-964-3844, or bruce@prwebsite.com, for Omnicell, Inc.

Web site: http://www.omnicell.com/