Netsmart, CareFusion Collaboration to Bring Medication Management Solutions to Health and Human Services Communities

Netsmart and CareFusion today announced an agreement to bring enhanced medication dispensing and management capabilities to behavioral health care provider organizations nationwide.

The two companies will collaborate to integrate the medication use expertise of CareFusion with the closed-loop medication management capabilities of Netsmart, while re-defining interoperability within the non-acute health care industry. The collaboration will help ensure behavioral health patients, the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) community and those receiving residential services will benefit from innovative, advanced medication dispensing and management solutions for the specific needs of lower-acuity markets.

“This agreement provides a significant leap to the health and human services inpatient and residential environments, improving patient safety, efficiency and importantly clinician satisfaction,” said Netsmart CEO Mike Valentine. “Historically, the concept of a decentralized dispensing has had slow adoption for low-acute organizations. We believe the combined experiences of our organizations will allow us to collaborate on solutions that address the concerns of facilities all along the healthcare spectrum.”

Under the agreement, Netsmart, the knowledge and technology partner for health and human services, will provide selected CareFusion solutions, including the Pyxis MedStation® ES system that offers safe, controlled and efficient dispensing of medications for patients in all care settings. When integrated with the Netsmart RxConnect and eMAR solutions, this combination provides a seamless solution that helps start client therapies faster by reducing time-to-first-dose and giving nurses fast, yet secure access to the medications for their patients.

“Our collaboration with Netsmart is important, because it continues to extend our Pyxis ES platform and our enterprise-wide capabilities outside of the traditional acute care setting and brings new value to patients in behavioral health,” said Rusty Frantz, senior vice president and general manager of Dispensing for CareFusion. “We are excited to bring our expertise to help drive the future of medication use in these often under-served markets.”

About CareFusion Corporation
CareFusion (NYSE: CFN) is a global corporation serving the health care industry with products and services that help hospitals measurably improve the safety and quality of care. The company develops industry-leading technologies including Alaris® infusion pumps and IV sets, MaxPlus® and MaxZero™ IV connectors and sets, Pyxis® automated dispensing and patient identification systems, AVEA®, LTV® series and AirLife® ventilation and respiratory products, ChloraPrep® products, MedMined® services for data mining surveillance, V. Mueller® surgical instruments, and an extensive line of products that support interventional medicine. CareFusion employs approximately 15,000 people across its global operations. More information may be found at www.carefusion.com.

About Netsmart
Netsmart is committed to helping health and human services providers deliver effective, outcomes-based care with Netsmart’s CareFabric™ solution, a tightly woven framework of innovative clinical and business solutions and services that supports integrated, coordinated delivery of health services across the spectrum of care.

More than 23,000 client organizations, including 450,000 care providers and more than 40 state systems use Netsmart solutions to help improve the quality of life for more than 25 million people each day. Netsmart clients include mental health and addiction services agencies, health homes, psychiatric hospitals, private and group mental health practices, public health departments, social services and child and family health agencies, managed care organizations, and vital records offices.

Netsmart is pleased to support the EveryDay Matters Foundation, which was established for behavioral and public health organizations to learn from each other and share their causes and stories. For more information, visit www.everydaymatters.com.

Learn more about how Netsmart and the CareFabric solution are changing the face of healthcare today. Visit www.ntst.com, call 1-800-472-5509, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit us on YouTube.