Canopy Systems and FirstHealth of the Carolinas Named First-Place Winners of the HITS Partnership Awards.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--(BW HealthWire)--April 24, 2001

Innovative partnership uses Web-based case management solution to

improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of patient care

Canopy Systems, Inc.(TM), a leader in providing Web-based solutions for care coordination, and FirstHealth of the Carolinas, an integrated delivery system in Pinehurst, N.C., were named first-place winners of the Healthcare Innovations in Technology Systems (HITS) partnership awards.

The winning team received the award for the category of small inpatient facility at the Healthcare Informatics and e.MD Expo and Conference held in Chicago, April 18 and 19.

The HITS Awards, created in 1992 by Henry Ford Health System, honor partnerships of healthcare organizations and technology vendors for the creative use of new or emerging technology to improve the quality of patient care. Canopy Systems and FirstHealth of the Carolinas received their award for Canopy(R), a Web-based case management system that delivers clinical, administrative and outcomes information to authorized care team members in the hospital and in remote locations.

"We are honored to receive this award for our partnership with FirstHealth of the Carolinas, one of the leading integrated delivery systems in the southeast," said David Kibbe, Chairman and Co-Founder of Canopy Systems. "This partnership is a success due to FirstHealth's commitment to improving the health of its patient community through care coordination programs. The HITS Award proves that when vendors and healthcare organizations partner and truly collaborate, the real winner is the patient," he said.

Canopy(TM) is delivered via an application service provider (ASP) model and facilitates case management for FirstHealth's targeted patient populations across the continuum of care. The solution captures essential clinical, administrative and outcomes information that can be accessed by authorized users, whether they are based in a hospital, emergency room, nursing home, physician's office, home health agency or home. Canopy(R) allows FirstHealth's case managers to assess patients more accurately, effectively prescribe treatment and easily track progress.

"Case management is one of the most effective means to control clinical costs by improving coordination and quality of care," said Kibbe. "Using Canopy, FirstHealth's case managers are identifying, assessing, and managing patients in the community. The results are improved care for the patient and an improved bottom line for FirstHealth."

According to Charles Frock, CEO, FirstHealth of the Carolinas, the solution allows FirstHealth to decrease length of stay and direct patient costs per inpatient day for targeted patient populations, improve coordination of care, and increase the productivity of case managers by eliminating unnecessary duplication of work and documentation.

"It is an honor to be recognized as a leader in using emerging technology to improve the quality of patient care," said Frock. "The core purpose of our health system is to provide excellent care for people -- our partnership with Canopy Systems allows us to live that purpose."

About Canopy Systems

Canopy Systems, Inc.(TM)(www.canopysystems.com) is the leader in providing Web-based solutions for care coordination. The Canopy(R)product line utilizes the ASP model to provide utilization, case, and disease management applications across the continuum of care. Canopy Systems, Inc.(TM)is a subsidiary of The Medical Mutual Group of North Carolina.

About FirstHealth of the Carolinas

FirstHealth of the Carolinas (www.firsthealth.org) is a not-for-profit, integrated delivery system in Pinehurst, N.C., that provides comprehensive healthcare services to a 16-county region in North and South Carolina. FirstHealth's network of services includes 3 hospitals, 20 primary care clinics, and a 220-member medical staff serving a geographically dispersed patient population of 160,000.