Axolotl Announces Catholic Healthcare West's Rollout of Clinical Messaging in Northern California.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 1, 2001

Web-Based Clinical Results Delivery for CHW Physicians

in the San Francisco Bay Area 

Axolotl Corporation, a leading provider of physician workflow solutions, and Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), the leading not-for-profit healthcare organization in the western United States, announced today the rollout of Axolotl's Elysium suite of clinical messaging products to CHW hospitals in the San Francisco Bay area of northern California. The initial rollout is to doctors affiliated with five participating hospitals.

The Elysium suite of integrated Web-based applications will link CHW-affiliated physicians and deliver clinical information from CHW hospitals and labs to these physicians. Elysium provides the platform that will enable physician offices to easily perform eligibility checks, consultations, authorizations, referrals, lab ordering, digital transcriptions and prescription writing on-line.

Michael O'Rourke, Vice President and Information Officer, Sacramento & Bay Regions, expects the Web-based clinical messaging system to help forge stronger ties with affiliated physicians in addition to cutting the cost of data delivery and increasing office efficiency. "We chose Axolotl's Elysium system to automate the delivery of clinical results to our physicians in order to shorten turnaround times and eliminate time-consuming administrative tasks," commented O'Rourke. "We expect physician satisfaction will increase as doctors are able to manage routine tasks in a fraction of the time. By streamlining the running of their practices, physicians and office staff are able to devote more time to patient care."

"Catholic Healthcare West is a healthcare leader that understands the value that the Internet can bring to physicians," stated Jerry Morrison, Axolotl's Chairman and CEO. "Elysium was built by physicians for physicians and their support staffs. Using standard Web browsers to access, process, and manage data, physicians can readily communicate and collaborate with other providers in the community without reengineering the way they work. We're excited to assist Catholic Healthcare West in expanding the use of our products to new regions."

About Catholic Healthcare West

Catholic Healthcare West, with 47 hospitals, over 8,000 physicians and 40,000 employees, spans a service area that encompasses parts of Arizona and Nevada and most of California. It is the largest not-for-profit health care provider in California and the largest Catholic hospital system in the western part of the United States. CHW is sponsored by nine religious orders and works to further the healing ministry of Jesus by delivering compassionate, high quality, affordable health services; providing direct services to the poor and disenfranchised, and advocating on their behalf; and partnering with others to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.chwHEALTH.com.

About Axolotl

Axolotl Corporation uses advanced communications technology to connect physicians to the entire healthcare continuum. The company provides physicians and their staffs with integrated clinical and administrative applications and patient education programs to streamline workflow, increase efficiency, and improve the quality of care. Thousands of healthcare professionals use the Elysium suite of integrated Web-based applications to manage clinical and administrative tasks through standard Web browsers, reducing costs and increasing the time available for treating patients. Through a strategic agreement with Gilat, Axolotl has the exclusive right to distribute its two-way broadband satellite in the healthcare market, providing high-speed, always-on Internet access to physician practices nationwide. Axolotl's AccentHealth Waiting Room Television Network, produced in conjunction with CNN, delivers award-winning patient education material to approximately 18 million visitors each month. This programming enhances the physician/patient relationship and encourages patients to participate in managing their own health. For more information, please visit our Web site www.axolotl.com.

Statements in this press release concerning the Company's business outlook or future economic performance, anticipated profitability, revenues, expenses or other financial items, and service offering growth, together with other statements that are not historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined under the Federal Securities Laws. Any forward-looking statements are estimates, reflecting the best judgment of the party making such statements based upon currently available information and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in such statements.