APACHE Introduces Internet-Based Cardiovascular Risk Predictor; Congressional Committee Members Learn How Decision Support System Can Help Improve Patient Care and Healthcare Outcomes.

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McLEAN, Va.--(BW HealthWire)--Mar. 23, 2000

APACHE Medical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMSI), introduced the APACHE(R) CV (Cardiovascular) Risk Predictor(TM) to 250-plus members of Congress, their staff and guests, at an "invitation-only" Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee event, demonstrating to Congress how APACHE technology, coupled with the world wide web, can provide "expert systems" to improve healthcare outcomes, in the U.S. and abroad.

A leading health information technology (HIT) vendor that originally pioneered the field of critical care decision support--APACHE, in partnership with the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group (NNE), was the only Internet (healthcare) clinical content provider among the group of invited companies. The event, which also featured Microsoft (NasdaqNM:MSFT), AOL (NYSE:AOL) and other technology companies, was held at the Reserve Officers Association in Washington, D.C.

"APACHE is a good example of the kind of medical good works that the Internet Caucus Advisory Committee I co-chair is trying to promote," noted Senator Conrad Burns (R-Montana), who co-chairs the Committee with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia, Sixth District) and Representative Rick Boucher (D-Virginia, Ninth District).

"Tuesday night," Senator Burns added, "I had the pleasure of meeting several experts from APACHE--Annie McCoy and Dr. Gerry O'Connor--who head the team that has developed a product that can help heart-care specialists in Montana, or anywhere in the world, predict a patient's risk of death or serious complications, before the patient elects to undergo invasive heart procedures. This DC-area company is helping to add vital--and potentially lifesaving--healthcare Internet content to all the `dot.com' activity' taking place around the country. We look forward to following their progress as they continue to work in innovative ways to reduce the cost, and improve the quality of healthcare, in this country and abroad."

Congressional members and their staff were the first to see how APACHE's new Internet-based cardiovascular (clinical) decision support system may help individual physicians in their offices around the world immediately access an expert database, and thereby objectively measure patient risk and assess likely outcomes before a decision is made to perform angioplasty, bypass surgery or valve replacement surgery.

"Combining medical specialist knowledge with APACHE technology . . . and delivering the resulting decision support systems over the `world wide web' to individual clinicians in a readily available and useable form to improve patient care . . . is part of our vision of the new healthcare system," observed APACHE CEO Peter Gladkin. "Collaborative working partnerships with carefully selected `expert groups' such as the NNE--coupled with APACHE methodology and the global reach of the Internet--is resulting in innovative clinical decision support tools that can drive bona fide healthcare quality improvements both in the U.S. and abroad. It is APACHE's goal to drive that effort and the Cardiovascular Risk Predictor application represents the first in a suite of such Internet-based decision support products."

APACHE has partnered with the NNE to develop the CV Risk Predictor. The Internet-based software system employs risk-assessment models developed by the NNE under the guidance of its research director, Gerald T. O'Connor, PhD, DSc.

"For over a decade, our regional group has been working to develop better methods to use information to influence patient and physician decisionmaking, and identify opportunities to improve clinical care," said O'Connor, who joined APACHE at the Congressional technology expo. The internationally known cardiovascular epidemiologist is professor of medicine, and of community and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H., and associate director of the School's Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences.

"Our partnership with APACHE is built upon our mutual dedication to improve clinical practice. Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group members are committed to pushing the boundaries of what is currently known about the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. With the help of APACHE's Internet-based software tools, our group will be able to make its science available world-wide."

APACHE demonstrated its new Internet-based software system on equipment provided courtesy of Data General, a division of EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC)(www.dg.com/healthcare).

About APACHE

APACHE Medical Systems, Inc.--a recognized leader in clinical decision support/outcomes management systems and consulting services for the care of high-risk patients--provides products and services that enable health systems, hospitals and providers to apply an evidence-based approach to achieve clinical performance excellence, reduce cost and compete effectively under managed care. APACHE is helping providers better manage the clinical, financial and patient outcomes of high-risk, high-cost patients in critical, acute, cardiovascular and HIV/AIDS care.

One of the most experienced healthcare consultancies in the U.S., APACHE/National Health Advisors is nationally known for its work in the field of integrated delivery system development. Its comprehensive suite of services includes strategic planning, clinical service line management, service reconfiguration, clinical integration and physician partnering, as well as evidence-based care process redesign and clinical performance improvement services.

APACHE's Health Outcomes Research division provides advanced clinical data collection tools, registry management and analytic services for federal government research, as well as in support of clinical trial design and product-effectiveness evaluations for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

APACHE (www.apache-msi.com) is headquartered in Northern Virginia.

APACHE(R) is a registered trademark, and CV (Cardiovascular) Risk Predictor(TM) a trademark, of APACHE Medical Systems, Inc. Other brand and/or product names referenced in this press release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements under provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. The Company wishes to caution readers that the following important factors, among others, in some cases have affected, and in the future could affect, the Company's actual results and could cause its actual results in fiscal 1999 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of the Company.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include but are not limited to the Company's having sufficient sales and timely collections to meet cash requirements and achieve profitability; ability to attract and retain key employees; success of its strategy to concentrate its product offerings on high-risk, high-cost patients; ability to timely develop new products and enhance existing products; ability to compete in the competitive and rapidly evolving healthcare information technology industry; ability to correctly estimate and manage its Year 2000 costs and liabilities; success of its marketing and consulting efforts and ability to effectively utilize its direct sales force; ability to protect proprietary information and to obtain necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms; and ability to comply with and adapt products and services to potential regulatory changes.

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