SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Each day, medical professionals face challenges of managing patient data -- ranging from admissions information, to test results, to prescriptions. Medical professionals are increasingly turning to Palm(TM) handhelds to simplify and improve the process of managing volumes of patient data each day. Handhelds based on the industry-leading Palm OS(R) platform are allowing medical professionals to spend more time with their patients, eliminate manual data entry, and achieve significant ROI gains.

Moses Cone Hospital Trades Clipboards for Palm Handhelds

Physicians, pharmacists and physicians' assistants at The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, N.C. have traded their paper-based clipboards for Palm handhelds. The handhelds run on an enterprise system that combines MercuryMD Inc.'s Staging Database and client software with Extended Systems Inc.'s XTNDConnect Server. Throughout their shifts, physicians use Palm handhelds equipped with infrared ports to access patient records and download treatment plans at several dozen infrared beaming stations throughout the hospital. The handhelds provide direct access to treatment information and record transcribed reports. In addition, physicians can check test results and prescribe treatments to patients. Further, the system enables users to cut back on paperwork and provides up-to-date information on each patient, allowing physicians to eliminate any confusion from outdated, paper-based records. By implementing this handheld system, physicians now save anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes each day -- time that was previously consumed by tedious administrative tasks.

"The handheld system saves me about five hours a week," said Dr. David Simonds, a physician at Moses Cone Hospital. "By using the Palm handheld and eliminating a lot of paperwork, I can spend more time with my patients, which is a key priority for any doctor."

Palm Handhelds Provide Medication Reminders with On-Time-Rx

Palm handhelds loaded with On-Time-Rx medication reminder software from AmeliaPlex, Inc. of Orlando, Fla., manage medication regimens for patients who are required to take numerous medications each day. The handheld software was designed by AmeliaPlex and developed with software developer Pen Computer Solutions. It prompts with an alarm, which notifies patients to take medications at scheduled times throughout the day. The handheld displays the exact drug names, dosages and administration directions as prescribed by the physician. In addition, the system reminds patients when to refill prescriptions and notifies them of other related or prescribed healthcare activities. The handheld system can handle 200 or more alarm events per day and a log of response data is stored in the handheld for 10 days or more. Patients and pharmacists can also download and print the data log as needed, by using the On-Time-Rx PC Companion desktop synchronization software.

"Our kidney transplant patients are given the option to use On-Time-Rx following their transplants, to help them comply with the 15 to 20 medicines they must take each day to safeguard their new kidney," said Registered Nurse and Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator Charlie Blanton, manager of Translife Clinical Services at Florida Hospital in Orlando. "On average, our patients using On-Time-Rx improve their compliance by around 70 percent, an important number when you consider that 30 to 40 percent of kidney transplants fail due to non-compliance issues."

Palm Handhelds Streamline Data Collection Process for RehabCare Group

Physical therapists with the RehabCare Group, St. Louis, Mo., use Palm handhelds to obtain information on patients, as well as to record information on sessions with their patients. Previously, the organization received patient information via fax, a time-consuming method that also created massive amounts of paperwork and data entry. Today, therapists synchronize their handheld computers with the corporate database via a modem located at their treatment facility, allowing them to obtain patient information in about three to four minutes. Therapists also use the handhelds throughout the day to record the amount and type of therapy given to patients. At the end of the day, therapists again sync their handhelds with the database, providing RehabCare Group corporate with not just clinical outcome information, but with billing and payroll information. The Palm handheld solution, developed by St. Louis-based Quilogy, has enabled the RehabCare Group to cut data-entry costs and fax volume by 80 percent.

More information on case studies and the use of Palm handheld computers in the enterprise is available at www.palm.com/enterprise/studies.

About the Palm OS Subsidiary

The Palm OS(R) subsidiary of Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) is responsible for delivering the software platform that is the foundation for handheld products, including those from Acer, HandEra, Handspring, Kyocera, Palm, Samsung, Sony, Symbol Technologies, and in the future, AlphaSmart and Garmin. More than 190,000 innovative developers and solution providers have registered to develop solutions based on the Palm OS platform. There are more than 13,000 commercial applications available for Palm Powered(TM) devices.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers, according to IDC (December 2000). Based on the Palm OS platform, Palm's handheld solutions allow people to carry and access their most critical information wherever they go. Palm(TM) handhelds address the needs of individuals, enterprises and educational institutions by offering the foundation for thousands of application solutions. Palm stock is traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol PALM. More information is available at http://www.palm.com.

NOTE: Palm OS is a registered trademark and Palm is a trademark of Palm, Inc.

SOURCE Palm, Inc.
Web site: http: //www.palm.com
CONTACT: Media, Maureen O'Keeffe of O'Keeffe & Company, +1-703-883-9000 ext. 110, or mokeeffe@okeeffeco.com, for Palm, Inc.; or Ronni Sarmanian of Palm, Inc., +1-408-878-2547, or ronni.sarmanian@corp.palm.com