Consumers now have broader access to drug information relied on by thousands of medical professionals to help manage their own healthcare

First DataBank, a leading provider of drug databases used in information systems throughout the healthcare industry, today announced the company’s drug databases have been licensed by SafeMed, a provider of analytical software for advanced clinical decision support, and integrated into SafeMed’s Analysis Engine being used by Google Health.

Google Health is a new internet-based platform that helps consumers store, organize and manage their medical records online and to obtain personalized health feedback – such as potentially harmful drug interactions and other preventative guidelines – based on their own unique Google Health profiles. The new platform, launched last month, is available on the web at www.google.com/health.

The goal of interactive, intelligent platforms such as SafeMed's Analysis Engine combined with First DataBank’s drug databases is to empower consumers to take control of their health and potentially help prevent medical errors, which result in 770,000 hospital injuries and deaths each year, according to the U.S. Institute of Medicine. First DataBank’s drug databases, which are widely used by medical professionals, will now be more broadly available to consumers who sign up to use the Google Health service.

“Our engine utilizes drug safety content supplied by First DataBank,” said Ahmed Ghouri, M.D., SafeMed’s co-founder and Chief Medical Officer. “It’s a powerful partnership that presents Google Health users with information that is trustworthy and medically accurate. We chose First DataBank as one of our drug database content providers because the information they provide is comprehensive and meets our stringent quality standards.”

”SafeMed’s Analysis Engine is a powerful clinical decision support program which, with the launch of the Google Health service, will empower consumers with the tools and information they need to take control of their health,” said Don Nielsen, M.D., President, First DataBank. “We are pleased to be working with both SafeMed and Google as partners in this effort and to license our drug content for this important purpose.”

About SafeMed
SafeMed provides analytical software that instantly personalizes, prioritizes, and identifies treatment options to help doctors and patients make better medical decisions. The software analyzes an individual‘s medical profile and prioritizes health options by ranking and scoring potential treatments against established health guidelines in seconds. As a result, the safest, most effective, and most affordable treatment choices can be identified. Leading healthcare Web sites, insurers, doctors, and electronic medical record systems use SafeMed for next-generation Clinical Decision Support (CDS). The company is privately held with corporate headquarters located in San Diego. Please visit www.safe-med.com for more information.

About First DataBank
First DataBank, a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation, drives patient safety and healthcare quality by providing drug databases that are used within information systems that touch every aspect of healthcare. For 30 years, we have partnered with system developers to integrate and optimize our drug information to improve user workflow and enhance clinical decision making by those entrusted with treating patients at the point-of-need. For more information about First DataBank, call 800-633-3453 or visit www.firstdatabank.com.

© 2008 First DataBank, Inc. A subsidiary of Hearst Corporation. All trademarks mentioned herein are the properties of their respective owners.

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