Industry observers estimate that only 2% to 5% of all U.S. hospitals have physician order entry LIVE. But while the health care industry as a whole has been slow to embrace this technology, MEDITECH customers have been quick to realize the benefits of CPOE. In fact, MEDITECH is recognized by both the Leapfrog Group and KLAS Consulting as one of the leading vendors of CPOE. MEDITECH is currently LIVE with CPOE solutions at a total of 66 facilities in a variety of settings (this figure includes instances where CPOE is currently LIVE in only the Emergency Department). Another 375 MEDITECH sites are in some stage of CPOE implementation.

CPOE is an effort that requires a profound culture change on the part of health care organizations. It's a policy change that goes well beyond a new mechanism for placing orders. Given the depth of commitment required, as well as other typical concerns organizations have about CPOE (price, difficulty/length of time to install, staff training/acceptance), MEDITECH has found that its system integration is the key to a successful CPOE installation. Integration also facilitates the related ability to increase patient safety. Non-integrated solutions rely heavily on interfacing, an approach that has proven to be costly, time-consuming, and less secure.

MEDITECH Director of Implementation, Janet Desroche, notes, "Our customers have learned early on that CPOE has a significant impact on patient safety, optimized care, and profitability by helping reduce medical errors. We are proud of our customers who are paving the way for others who have yet to adopt CPOE technology."

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