LENEXA, Kan., Aug. 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mediware Information Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:MEDW) today announced that the company's new chemotherapy management software has realized early success through the addition of two new contracts with prestigious hospitals in the Netherlands. The new customers include St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, and Catherina Hospital in Eindhoven. Mediware announced the acquisition of this software on April 18, 2012 from Cobbler ICT Services BV and is currently marketing the software in the Netherlands and Belgium. Mediware is also aggressively building interest for the product in the United Kingdom where the company's JAC subsidiary has a significant customer base using its medication management suite of products.
The agreement with St. Antonius represents the largest sale to date for the chemotherapy management software. The hospital, which licensed the software in July, is implementing advanced automation programs for the treatment of cancer at the 700 bed teaching facility. They plan to use the software to automate and support the data management needs for the entire care process, from electronic ordering (CPOE) to preparation and administration of the specialty drug inventories. The Mediware system also includes an integrated electronic patient record to enable doctors and nurses to monitor treatments and patient outcomes over time, as well as the ability to integrate with other key information systems to help manage these complex therapies. The contract with Catherina Hospital was completed in May.
"Oncology is one of the fastest growing areas of healthcare technology because of the extreme complexity of patient cases and an intense need for both safety and efficiency," said Thomas Mann, Mediware's president and chief executive officer. "This is an excellent example of where technology, and specifically information systems, can improve caregiver response times and positively impact patient outcomes, while still helping facilities control waste and unnecessary costs."
Mediware's focus on chemotherapy management software is an extension of the company's long legacy of medication management solutions that span from the hospital pharmacy to the patient's bedside. In the UK Mediware's JAC customers have actively expressed an interest in a specialized system to manage chemotherapy drugs and patient treatment plans. With this acquisition, Mediware has a proven platform to satisfy this immediate need and establish a market-leading position internationally for oncology-specific information systems.
"In the UK, our customers have repeatedly asked us to extend our ePrescribing and medicine management system to meet the specific needs of oncology treatment," said Robert Tysall- Blay, managing director of Mediware's international operations and chief executive of JAC Computer Services Ltd, in the UK. "We launched the system in the UK at the end of May and have a growing list of interested clients.
While Mediware does not currently plan to offer the chemotherapy management system in the United States, information about capabilities and availability can be requested at www.mediware.com/contactus.
About Mediware
Mediware delivers interoperable, best-of-breed software systems that improve efficiencies and address safety concerns, enabling healthcare organizations to improve care processes while decreasing costs. Core Mediware solutions include blood management technologies for hospitals and blood centers; cell therapy solutions for cord blood banks, cancer treatment centers and research facilities; medication management solutions for hospitals, behavioral health facilities, infusion and specialty pharmacy providers; and business intelligence-based performance management solutions for clinical, regulatory and financial aspects of the broader healthcare market. For more information about Mediware products and services, visit our website at www.mediware.com.
JAC is the UK's leading medicine management systems specialist, with the largest installed base of Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration systems in UK hospitals. With over 20 years experience within medicines management, JAC provides pharmacy stock control, e-prescribing and medicines administration as a single integrated solution along with associated services and third-party interfaces. JAC's systems are used in more than half of all NHS trusts in England as well as sites in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and South Africa.
About the Cyto Management System
The CMS software is a comprehensive 'closed loop' solution for managing chemotherapy treatments that is focused on reducing errors, streamlining patient management and optimizing efficiency through the care treatment process. Consisting of five main components, CMS manages the prescription of chemotherapy for the physician, the planning of the chemotherapy for the patient, the planning for the preparation of the chemo therapy, the preparation of cytotoxic drugs and all the other sterile preparations. CMS is designed to be highly interoperable and includes multi-lingual capabilities to allow the software to be easily configured for international distribution.
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Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as the same may be amended from time to time (the "Act") and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created thereby. Such forward-looking statements are not necessarily based on historical facts and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to those disclosed in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not intend to, and undertakes no obligation to, update forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in future operating results, financial condition or business over time. The Company regularly posts important information to the investor relations section of its website.