Wolters Kluwer : Health to Work with AAACN to Add Ambulatory Care Nursing to Lippincott Procedures

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry, today announced it has entered into an agreement with the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) to develop a new ambulatory care nursing category for Lippincott Procedures, the leading procedures software used by nurses and other clinicians at the point-of-care and in competency management.  Ambulatory care nurses care for patients in a variety of diverse outpatient settings and, according to AAACN, are becoming an increasingly important means of coordinating care and managing transitions as America searches for more cost-effective approaches to quality healthcare.

The largest ambulatory care nursing organization in the U.S., AAACN membership includes more than 3,000 registered nurses (RNs) who work in outpatient settings.  The collaboration calls for AAACN to write and review 100 new ambulatory care nursing procedures, using experts culled from its membership.  Once in place, these new procedures will help expand use of Lippincott Procedures in the growing area of outpatient healthcare and will make it more useful to nurses who practice in  settings such as hospitals with outpatient services, ambulatory care centers, community-based settings, urgent care clinics, home care, schools and workplaces.

"Ambulatory care nurses are vital in healthcare today as they are well suited to deliver cost-effective, high quality care," said Marianne Sherman, MS, RN-BC, President of AAACN.  "By serving patients throughout the continuum of care and promoting better health, these nurses are meeting the changing patient needs that result from the effects of the Affordable Care Act and higher acuity levels in non-acute care settings.  We are thrilled to work with Wolters Kluwer Health on Lippincott Procedures to help make this trusted resource become even better for nurses working in ambulatory care."

In the past few years, Lippincott Procedures has expanded into several specialty areas including physical therapy, respiratory therapy and long-term care.  Once complete, this new set of ambulatory procedures will create a new category that follows the same familiar structure and format that nurses are accustomed to using already.  The new procedures are expected to be available starting in January 2016. 

"We have been focused on broadening the use of Lippincott Procedures to make it useful and applicable for entire health systems.  They can standardize care, not just in the hospital, but also across their entire network," said Carolyn Dalton, Senior Digital Product Manager, Wolters Kluwer Health, Professional & Education.  "We recently added a new long-term care nursing category, and now this new category continues that momentum by helping us to further expand usage into the outpatient setting."

Lippincott Procedures is the most widely deployed, web-based nursing application for the latest evidence-based practice information used in hospitals and other healthcare institutions.  It gives clinicians accurate, step-by-step guidance for more than 1,600 evidence-based procedures.  Video clips and high-quality visuals that aid in understanding accompany most of the procedures.  Skills checklists and competency tests for each procedure are provided to help facilities verify staff competence.  Each procedure undergoes a thorough annual review process to ensure it includes the most up-to-date clinical information.  Plus, the product's technology infrastructure provides easy linking from the EMR-based patient workflow that nurses are using today.

Lippincott Procedures, part of the Lippincott Solutions product suite, is available as a group subscription to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.  The product is accessible from any Internet-enabled device including PCs and mobile devices including iPad and Android tablets as well as an iPad app.  To learn more or to purchase, call 855-695-5070, visit LippincottSolutions.com/Procedures, and follow Lippincott Solutions on Twitter @NurseSolutions.

About Wolters Kluwer Health
Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Serving more than 150 countries worldwide, clinicians rely on Wolters Kluwer Health's market leading information-enabled tools and software solutions throughout their professional careers from training to research to practice. Major brands include Health Language®, Lexicomp®, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Medicom®, Medi-Span®, Medknow, Ovid®, Pharmacy OneSource®, ProVation® Medical and UpToDate®.

Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company. Wolters Kluwer had 2013 annual revenues of €3.6 billion ($4.7 billion), employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide, and maintains operations in over 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Its shares are quoted on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY).

American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN)
AAACN is a welcoming, unifying community for registered nurses in all ambulatory care settings. Founded 39 years ago, this specialty nursing organization's mission is to advance the art and science of ambulatory care nursing. AAACN focuses on advancing practice and leadership skills of ambulatory care nurses, fostering connections among RNs in similar roles and settings, and advocating for the specialty of ambulatory care nursing.