API Signs Agreement With Covenant Health System to Deploy Its ActiveStaffer Employee Scheduling/Staffing System.

Health & Medical Editors

HARTFORD, Wis.--(BW HealthWire)--June 5, 2001

Automating Peripherals Inc.:

Solution Offers Health System Ability to Control Labor Costs by

Automating Scheduling/Staffing Enterprise-wide

Automating Peripherals Inc. (API) announced today that Covenant Health System, Waterloo, Iowa, signed an agreement to implement API's ActiveStaffer(R) scheduling/staffing system. ActiveStaffer will support the healthcare system's 3,000 employees throughout the enterprise. The system will initially be used in Covenant Health's patient care, hospitality services and home health departments and then deployed enterprise-wide.

"Because API is healthcare-specific, they really understand the complexities involved in our scheduling/staffing process," said Lureen Patten, payroll/scheduling manager. "We've been using API's Payrollmation(R) time and attendance system since 1992, and also use API's SecurALL(R) access control system. ActiveStaffer accommodates our organization and the large number of codes we use. We will not have to change our policies to fit the software; the software will adapt to us."

ActiveStaffer simplifies the time-consuming, labor-intensive manual processes involved in scheduling employees, maximizing resources, controlling labor costs and retaining a qualified staff. The system is Windows(R)-based and intuitive, enabling nurse managers and staffing coordinators to quickly determine the right employee for each position and shift. With ActiveStaffer, healthcare organizations get real-time access to labor information that helps managers and administrators make informed staffing decisions. Easily integrated with time and attendance and payroll systems, ActiveStaffer is a powerful tool to manage costs, improve patient care and increase employee job satisfaction.

"ActiveStaffer accommodates an unlimited number of complex scheduling policies such as holiday and weekend policies and employees who work at multiple facilities throughout the organization," said Luis Garcia, president and CEO of API. "ActiveStaffer has the flexibility and functionality to grow with a healthcare organization, unlike many competitive systems."

Covenant Health System selected ActiveStaffer because of its ability to handle the unique policies of a healthcare work environment. Covenant has an aggressive implementation schedule and will go-live with its first departments on July 1, with the entire implementation scheduled to be complete in December 2001.

"Being able to view schedules and employee data at a glance, right from a desktop computer, will enable our managers to quickly generate detailed reports, giving them a clearer picture of the organization as a whole. This drastically reduces the cases of emergency scheduling that are costly for our organization and frustrating for the employees," said Patten.

"And with JCAHO increasingly evaluating staffing and reporting needs, we felt we needed to be proactive in meeting the requirements. ActiveStaffer will enable us to make sure we have the appropriate number of staff, based on acuity."

About Covenant Health System

Covenant Health System, Inc. is an integrated network of not-for-profit hospitals, physician clinics, for-profit retail pharmacies and home medical services located in Waterloo, Iowa. Covenant Health System annually admits over 10,000 patients and collectively provides over 500,000 outpatient procedures throughout its three affiliate facilities, which include Covenant Medical Center, Sartori Memorial Hospital, Cedar Falls, and Mercy Hospital of Franciscan Sisters, Oelwein. The health system is a member of Wheaton Franciscan Services, Inc. and has over 3,000 employees. The health system's web site is www.covhealth.com.

About API

API is a leading provider of payroll, human resource, time and attendance, education tracking, scheduling/staffing, and access control software for healthcare organizations. Founded in 1982, API has more than 350 installations in the United States, with customers ranging in size from top 10 integrated delivery networks with over 23,000 employees to rural medical centers with 500 employees. The company has a strategic alliance with Microsoft Corporation and is a Microsoft Certified Solution Provider. The company's website address is www.api-wi.com.