Clinical Decision Support Just Takes A Major Step Forward. This Is Something Australia Could Subscribe To!

The following press release appeared a few days ago.

Isabel Healthcare and BMJ Group Introduce "Isabel With Best Practice" -- the Next Generation Medical Knowledge System

Created Jan 26 2012 - 10:14pm

ANN ARBOR, MI and LONDON, Jan 24, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Isabel Healthcare and BMJ Group today introduced Isabel with Best Practice, a powerful diagnosis and treatment decision aid that combines the strengths of both companies' existing systems to help clinicians diagnose and treat faster and more accurately at the point of care.

Under the international partnership, Isabel integrated its industry-leading diagnosis decision aid with BMJ Group's Best Practice clinical content. Isabel with Best Practice will enable doctors and nurse practitioners to make more informed and faster diagnostic and treatment decisions. Isabel with Best Practice is the only diagnosis decision aid exclusively endorsed by BMJ Group and the only solution of its type that fully integrates with electronic health records.

"Isabel with Best Practice ushers in the next generation of decision support affording faster and more accurate decisions," stated Dr. Rubin Minhas, Clinical Director for BMJ Evidence Centre, a global provider of evidence-based decision support to healthcare professionals at the point of care. "For the first time, all the key information and decision tools are included in one system, saving the clinician valuable time at the point of care." He added, "This exciting new product will enhance both companies' product portfolios."

A 2009 report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine titled "Diagnostic Error in Medicine: An Analysis of 583 Physician Reported Errors" suggests that doctors continue to commonly misdiagnose internal ailments to the detriment of patients.

"Diagnosis errors have a devastating impact on clinical and financial outcomes," said Don Bauman, CEO, Isabel Healthcare. "Studies have shown that Isabel's diagnostic decision support tool significantly drives better decision making in a compressed timeframe resulting in better outcomes, reducing waste and freeing clinicians to spend more time with patients."

Isabel with Best Practice capitalizes on the unique ability of Isabel to produce a differential list using multiple clinical features with BMJ Group's Best Practice's easy to use evidence based disease monographs. When clinicians enter a patient's signs and symptoms, Isabel with Best Practice generates a checklist of potential diagnoses while flagging high-risk "Don't Miss" diagnoses. After a doctor selects a diagnosis, they are taken straight through to the BMJ Group's Best Practice monographs where they are able to rapidly access information on other important symptoms and first and second line tests to help pinpoint the diagnosis and best practice and guidelines on treatment from the world famous BMJ Evidence Centre.

Physicians who have tested and are using Isabel with Best Practice overwhelmingly praise the tool.

"Access to the Isabel diagnosis checklist tool at the bedside is crucial as it helps speed up decision making at the point of care," said Richard Chinnock, M.D., Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. "My physician team and I really like the addition of BMJ Group's Best Practice evidence-based reference content. The schematic layout is especially helpful as you can access sequential steps for testing, treatment and guidelines from a single page."

This next generation product is available today and will be on display at the upcoming 2012 HIMSS conference in Las Vegas, NV in the Isabel booth 13247 kiosk 7.

About Isabel Healthcare Isabel Healthcare Inc. was founded in 2000 by Jason Maude and is named after Maude's daughter who almost died after a potentially fatal illness was not recognized. For over 10 years, Isabel Healthcare has provided the Isabel diagnosis decision support system to hospitals, physician practices and individual physicians and gained peer reviewed validation and unmatched experience. Today, Isabel is the only diagnosis decision support system fully integrated with EMR and is used by thousands of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and students world-wide, providing diagnostic support and education by broadening their differential diagnostic considerations. Connect with us at info@isabelhealthcare.com, 734-332-0612 or Isabelhealthcare.com or info.isabelhealthcare.com/blog to learn more.

About BMJ Group BMJ Group is a global provider of trusted and independent medical information and services for healthcare professionals. The BMJ Evidence Centre provides evidence-based decision support to healthcare professionals at the point of care. It is internationally renowned for its independent, thorough and robust analysis and synthesis of clinical research. BMJ Group is owned by The British Medical Association. http://group.bmj.com

Contacts:
Megan Pennie
VP Marketing
Isabel Healthcare
Tel: +1 323-377-1687
Email: megan.pennie@isabelhealthcare.com

Trish Joyce
US Marketing Manager
BMJ Group
Tel: +1 303 771 5159
Mobile: +1 720 351 8946
Email: tjoyce@bmjgroup.com

A copy of the release is here:

http://www.fiercehealthit.com/press-releases/isabel-healthcare-and-bmj-group-introduce-isabel-best-practice-next-generat

Here is a short summary article with extra links:

Isabel, BMJ tool offers enhanced diagnosis decision support

By Ken Terry

Created Jan 26 2012 - 5:41pm

Isabel Healthcare and BMJ Group have joined forces to create a new decision support tool for physicians. The application, known as Isabel with Best Practice, integrates Isabel's diagnosis decision aid--which emphasizes rare conditions that physicians often overlook--with BMJ Best Practice's evidence-based disease monographs.

When clinicians enter a patient's signs and symptoms, Isabel with Best Practice generates a checklist of potential diagnoses. After doctors select a diagnosis, they go into the Best Practice monographs. Those monographs provide information on other important symptoms, as well as first and second line tests, to help pinpoint the diagnosis. Treatment guidelines also are provided.

.....

To learn more:
- read the press release [1]
- see the Isabel with Best Practice site [2]
- check out the BMJ Best Practice site [3]

More here:

http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/isabel-and-bmj-offer-new-diagnosis-decision-support-tool/2012-01-26

To me this is really exciting stuff - to bring together decision support for both diagnosis and then to move forward with the best available evidence for treatment is almost a dream come true!

The implementation looks to have been well thought out. This sort of application is going to take off like wildfire I predict and soon it will be hard to practice without access to such tools and avoid medico-legal problems!

We are moving to a new world with this sort of stuff!

David.