mckesson corporation
Optimizing Healthcare through Image Informatics

New and emerging technological trends are finding their way into the healthcare ecosystem, infiltrating even the most IT limited healthcare organizations, while also fully enveloping those with far more complex IT needs. This rapid technological evolution and the wide accessibility of modern communication tools have driven the healthcare industry towards consumer-centric solutions. Bridging this gap between people, process, and consumer-market technology is San Francisco based, McKesson [NYSE:MCK]. John Hammergren, Chairman and CEO of McKesson, believes improving the business health of healthcare organizations across the spectrum of care will result in achieving better health outcomes.

As an oldest and largest healthcare services company, McKesson plays an integral role in addressing the productivity and workflow issues, quality and regulatory changes, as well as the change of reimbursements from volume to value based challenges healthcare organizations face today. The two core McKesson solutions, Distribution Solutions and Technology Solutions, provide interactive connectivity services that streamline clinical, financial, and administrative communications between patients, providers, payers, pharmacies, and financial institutions. McKesson Technology Solutions further provide enterprise information solutions, imaging and workflow solutions, business performance services, and health solutions. These offerings are designed to improve patient safety, reduce the cost and variability of care, improve healthcare efficiency, and manage revenue streams and resources.

McKesson Imaging and Workflow Solutions are focused on digitizing imaging departments and making imaging informatics an integral part of the healthcare system to fundamentally change the daily workflow of organizations. The company has further introduced McKesson Radiology and Conserus to bridge the gap between healthcare IT enterprise and diagnostic imaging. McKesson Conserus works within the healthcare IT environment to help improve imaging effectiveness, resource utilization, and quality.

We lead by having the courage to make difficult decisions and by caring enough to do whatever it takes to help our customers succeed

It brings an understanding of the diagnostic imaging space from the vantage points of workflow to radiology and cardiology, data sharing, and interoperability. McKesson Radiology enables healthcare organizations to connect with a patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) and fulfill specific workflow requirements in and around the healthcare facility or even beyond its walls—by acquiring the imaging information from disparate systems.

Once, Van Buren County Hospital (VCBH) was seeking a solution that would enhance the workflow efficiency and flexibility in viewing images across their remote facilities. Given the scalability of the medical imaging solution and indispensable support team, VCBH’s leadership made a calculated decision to invest in McKesson’s Radiology Solution. The company’s Radiology Solution delivered on VCBH’s challenges by forming coherent interoperability between their medical facilities. The clinical staff no longer had to view previous images for any additional context or call the Emergency Room (ER) physician for an opinion. The company’s solution abetted VCBH manage, store, and use health information, by providing increased access to medical records and more coordinated care.

McKesson intends to become a mega-suite vendor of integrated Patient Financial Systems (PFSs) and EHR systems as described in its Better Health 2020 strategy. The company also plans to invest $1 billion in R&D across its technology businesses dedicated to delivering innovative products, technology, and infrastructure needed to deliver higher-quality care and better services. “We lead by having the courage to make difficult decisions and by caring enough to do whatever it takes to help our customers succeed,” concludes Hammergren.