Advanced Research Systems, Inc., Signs Contract With Southwest Catholic Health Network.

SEATTLE--(BW Healthwire)--July 1, 1999--

Advanced Research Systems, Inc., today announced that Southwest Catholic Health Network (SCHN) has purchased its ATLANTES Care Management System(tm).

The agreement includes the licensing of its disease and case management modules as well as the ATLANTES Messenger(tm) integration tool kit.

Southwest Catholic Health Network is a not-for-profit managed care organization sponsored by Mercy Healthcare Arizona and Carondelet Health Network. Mercy Care Plan, the major line of business for SCHN, provides managed health care services to 76,000 Arizona Medicaid recipients in nine Arizona counties.

"We were looking for a system to automate and streamline the care management process," said Marty Miracle, RN, MSW, director of medical services at Southwest Catholic Health Network. "To accomplish this goal, we needed an electronic system that was easy to access and use and that supported our case managers with strong workflow management capabilities. The ATLANTES Care Management System provides all care management information online, improving the quality of care by making information more readily available to care managers. It also delivers rich workflow management capabilities that will enable our care managers and other users to be more productive."

Other system features influencing SCHN's decision to purchase the system included the development of a seamless integration strategy with the EDS MetaVance System implemented throughout SCHN. EDS teams with ARS to deliver case and disease management functionality as part of its MetaVance Health Care Portfolio.

Another important factor that appealed to Miracle was the ability to easily set up and manage multiple lines of business across the organization. "The system is easy to configure which lends itself to being able to add new lines of business."

"We are very pleased by our contract with a recognized leader like Southwest Catholic Health Network," said Robert Nakahara, president of Advanced Research Systems. "Adding Southwest Catholic Health Network to our prominent list of clients such as General American Insurance, Regence BlueShield of Washington and the State of Maryland Medicaid program under the University of Maryland in Baltimore County helps us continue to increase our presence in the market."

About ARS

Seattle-based ARS, developer of the ATLANTES Care Management System, was founded in 1989 by CEO Tracy Maxwell. ARS provides healthcare organizations with a solution for improving patient outcomes while effectively managing the delivery and cost of care. The company has experienced rapid growth in both revenue and employees during the last 18 months. Today, the ATLANTES Care Management System is being used by premier healthcare organizations across the country such as Regence BlueShield of Washington, General American Insurance and the State of Maryland Medicaid program under the University of Maryland in Baltimore County. ARS has strategic alliances with Resource Information Management Systems (RIMS) and Microsoft Corp. The company can be found on the World Wide Web at www.ar-systems.com/press.asp.