Despite today’s challenging economic conditions, many hospitals find that delaying improvements to their healthcare information technology systems is not an option. Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in Rochester, Mich., is no exception. With impending payment reform, ICD-10 and potential economic stimulus incentives for healthcare IT on the horizon, the provider is working with McKesson to transform its enterprise revenue management operations to meet growing demands.

“Our medical center has expanded despite the downturn,” said Cindi Long, chief financial officer at the 290-bed hospital. “With so many changes in healthcare revenue cycle, we had to move to something new. For example, with ICD-10 coming down the road, we knew our old system alone could not handle it.”

As a result, Crittenton leaders chose McKesson’s Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management^™ solution. They determined that the new solution, which combines innovative rules-based software and connectivity services, would accommodate their specific requirements and help them use industry best practices to improve their revenue cycle management processes.

Crittenton leaders were especially pleased with McKesson’s willingness to implement the solution in a staged approach, beginning with the Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management access management module.

“We needed a vendor willing to provide us with the flexibility to choose how and when we wanted to deploy,” said Long. “McKesson allowed us to take a modular approach and worked with us to design a customized solution and timeline based on our organization’s unique needs.”

Taking advantage of the complete Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management solution, Crittenton also will change its approach to business intelligence and performance management. Using McKesson’s performance analytics technology, Crittenton will drive improvement initiatives across the enterprise. The new capability will help Crittenton integrate clinical, financial and operational data to measure organizational performance and make evidence-based decisions.

Crittenton’s strategic plan calls for operational as well as financial enhancements. “We have been working very hard to take our patient satisfaction and quality to the next level and ensure Crittenton is the place to go for medical services,” noted Long.

For example, the hospital recently deployed McKesson’s enterprise patient tracking solution to better manage capacity while improving the healthcare quality it delivers. Much like a football scoreboard, the new system uses visual controls to broadcast real-time, at-a-glance information about patient status against the hospital’s floor plan. With all medical staff viewing the same real-time information, caregivers can efficiently treat more patients without compromising healthcare quality or overburdening staff.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with forward-looking customers like Crittenton,” said Loren Buysman, senior vice president and general manager, Revenue Cycle, McKesson Provider Technologies, “and to contribute to their growth and success as they work to meet the challenges of today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment.”

About Crittenton Hospital Medical Center

Crittenton Hospital Medical Center is a 290-bed acute care health care facility serving the Michigan communities in Oakland, Macomb and Lapeer counties. Crittenton provides a full continuum of clinical programs nationally ranked for quality excellence and a medical staff of nearly 500 physicians, representing a wide range of medical specialties providing primary, secondary and tertiary-level care. Crittenton Hospital Medical Center has newly-renovated facilities and cutting-edge technology for providing patients with the most advanced medical care on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.

About McKesson

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson has been in continuous operation for more than 175 years, making it the longest operating company in healthcare today. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit http://www.mckesson.com.