CORRECTING and REPLACING Cogent Healthcare Provides Inpatient Management Services for Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

CORRECTION...by Cogent Healthcare, Inc.

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2003

In BW5272 issued Sept. 22, 2003: Seventh graph of release should read: For more information about Cogent Healthcare, contact Bill Behnke, at 949-399-6000 (sted 949-699-6000).

The corrected release reads:

COGENT HEALTHCARE PROVIDES INPATIENT MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR CARITAS GOOD SAMARITAN MEDICAL CENTER IN BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS 

Comprehensive Hospitalist Model Implemented to Streamline

Hospital Care Delivery and Improve Quality

Cogent Healthcare, Inc., one of the nation's leading providers of inpatient management services, has signed an agreement to implement a hospitalist program for Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Massachusetts.

"We wanted to pursue evidence-based medicine, in which we implement standardized care to patients for their specific conditions with proven results," explains Peter J. Holden, President of Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center. "As an organization we can benefit from the specific care guidelines Cogent has developed. Ultimately, the program will help ensure quality care is delivered to our patients while making resource consumption more efficient."

The Cogent model of inpatient care management has at its hub experienced physicians who specialize in the care of hospitalized patients and who are available to the hospital 24 hours a day to attend to the changing needs of the patient. These hospitalist physicians are supported by clinical care coordinators, experienced nurses who manage the administrative aspects of care so that the physicians can focus on clinical care. Cogent also provides "best practice" guidelines for the most common hospital diagnoses, audits to determine how well the guidelines were followed, automated communication systems to keep all members of the care team informed, including the primary care physician who will resume care of the patient when they leave the hospital, and information systems to record data and measure results.

According to Ronald Greeno, M.D, chief medical officer of Cogent Healthcare, "Cogent's model was developed to assist hospitals, like Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center, in achieving a high level of quality care while improving overall cost-effectiveness. Hospitals throughout the country are finding that our model helps them address the growing demands they face by improving patient throughput, ensuring patient safety and helping to decrease readmission rates."

Cogent's hospitalist model also includes in-house physician coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This element provides the hospital with an efficient management system for the physicians who stay overnight, contributing to additional savings for the hospital.

"We look forward to working with Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center to implement our comprehensive hospitalist model," said Alan Puzarne, chief executive officer of Cogent Healthcare. "Implementing our `best practice' methodology and technology support will help streamline care delivery and can improve long-term medical outcomes for their patients."

For more information about Cogent Healthcare, contact Bill Behnke, at 949-399-6000.

About Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center

Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center is a Catholic, not-for-profit, community teaching hospital committed to bringing state-of-the-art medicine and procedures to you in a comfortable setting close to home. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to our patients, the majority of whom live in 22 communities in the Brockton region. Our commitment to high-quality and excellent service is recognized by our accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and our high patient satisfaction ratings. For more information, please contact vice president, Charlene F. Pontbriand at 508-427-3143 or visit: http://www.caritasgoodsam.org/home/default.asp.

Caritas Christi is the second largest health care system in New England providing community-based medicine and tertiary care in eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

About Cogent Healthcare, Inc.

Cogent Healthcare, Inc. is a leading provider of services that improve the well being of hospitalized patients while reducing their associated costs through the creation and management of inpatient-based physician networks. Its vision is to improve care and efficiency by reducing variations in care, establishing best practices, identifying and removing barriers to efficient care, and measuring outcomes. To this end, the company provides comprehensive programs in clinical care staffing, communication, and data management that support the hospitalist physician in the delivery of inpatient care.

Cogent Healthcare's programs are currently in 13 major markets throughout the United States. More than two years ago, Cogent Healthcare also launched the first Internet-based continuing medical educational program for hospitalist physicians. Its CME programs for physicians, nurses and pharmacists can be accessed at the company's website, http://www.cogenthealthcare.com.