One good deed deserves another.

McKesson Corporation is taking the philosophy to heart by giving more than $1 million worth of electronic health record software to physicians who provide charity care to the needy across the country.

The program, which aligns with McKesson's Better Health 2020 initiative, will provide McKesson Practice Choice software to 100 qualifying physicians who provide unreimbursed healthcare to America's neediest citizens.

"These physicians who are helping struggling Americans that are in great need of healthcare services can leverage our solution to help them practice more effectively and improve patient care outcomes," says David Henriksen, senior vice president, McKesson's Physician Practice Solutions. "Additionally, since McKesson Practice Choice can seamlessly communicate with health information exchanges, physicians can improve the quality of care because greater
communication exists between care points."
         
McKesson Practice Choice is a fully integrated EHR and practice management solution designed specifically for small independent primary care practices. The Web-based solution offers clinical, financial, operational and patient tools on a single database.

Physicians can access software, certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC),
from any location with an Internet connection. The use of exclusive Smart Note technology enables charting of progress notes on a single screen, with key data elements automatically populating all pertinent fields through

A McKesson committee will select the physicians from applicants in metropolitan areas with some of the largest impoverished populations, including Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Miami, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Newark, NJ.
         
"Leaders in the healthcare industry have recognized EHR technology as a 'must have' for many years now. Ironically, though, where the technology is perhaps most needed - in the practices serving patients who are struggling to access care - it is often the least accessible. At McKesson, we are doing what we can to help physicians change that equation," says Henriksen.

To learn more about the program, visit: www.mckessongivesback.com.