Five Healthcare Organizations Purchase Patient1 Clinical System Enhancements to Advance Order Entry, Patient Safety and Best Practices.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2002

Per-Se Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSTI) today announced that five progressive healthcare organizations have expanded their Patient1(R) clinical information system agreements with Per-Se.

By continuing to invest in award-winning solutions such as Patient1, these organizations demonstrate their commitment to optimizing care quality. Per-Se is the leading provider of integrated business management outsourcing services, application software and Internet-enabled connectivity for the healthcare industry.

The new value-added components of the Patient1 system, designed to improve computer physician order entry (CPOE) functions, include the "at-a-glance" Interactive Care Grid view of patient data and the clinical desktop. Additional products sold are pktRounds(TM) handheld software for downloading Patient1 onto personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the Decision1(R)-Clinical Analyzer clinical data warehouse system.

Upgrading their Patient1 systems are Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Okla., which has licensed the Decision1-Clinical Analyzer; Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, Conn.; and Nash Health Care Systems (NHCS) in Rocky Mount, N.C. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) and Centre Hospitalier Anna-Laberge (CHAL), two Canadian hospitals in the province of Quebec, are Per-Se's first clients to deploy the enhanced Patient1 system in both French and English language versions and are also contracting for pktRounds handheld software and Patient1 consulting services.

Per-Se's Patient1 is a longitudinal computer-based patient record (CPR) system implemented by mid- to large-sized acute care organizations. The enhanced Patient1 solution incorporates Java technology and is part of the company's ongoing strategy to improve CPR data access across the health enterprise to support CPOE.

"Clinicians using the system report that it is easier to use, saves time and enables faster navigational access to patient-specific views of lifetime health information," said Karen B. Andrews, president of Per-Se's Application Software division. "The enhanced Patient1 solution also offers immediate access to clinical decision support tools and evidence-based medicine resources, as well as to the Internet and other desktop applications integrated within a comprehensive clinical environment. Medical professionals transitioning to the enhanced Patient1 software embrace its new 'common look and feel' graphical user interface (GUI) design that simplifies the automation of clinical care."

Saint Francis Hospital, the alpha site of the pktRounds handheld technology, co-developed the unique connectivity interface that extracts Patient1 CPR data elements onto a mobile platform. Currently, 45 physicians from nearly all specialties use PDAs to instantly access select password-protected clinical information during patient rounds. The hospital's information services team supporting this initiative is taking this handheld clinical tool to the next level by moving to a realtime, bi-directional Java-based platform to interface directly with the Patient1 system.

According to Mark Hutson, chief information officer of Saint Francis Hospital, the enhanced Patient1 system augments the daily workflow activities of physicians during patient rounds and appointments. "The new flatter data views and ease-of-use improvements will encourage our physicians to use the software to enter orders online and ultimately perform patient-population clinical decision support. This will lead to a heightened quality of care and in turn, decrease medical errors, shorten length of stays and reduce costs," he said.

Centre Hospitalier Anna-Laberge (CHAL), in Chateauguay, Quebec, is a 250-bed facility situated near Montreal. CHAL Director of Information Services Monique St-Jean explains the value of investing in Patient1's enhancement solutions to serve the care needs of the hospital's growing patient population of 250,000.

"Our continued investment in Patient1, pktRounds handheld software and the expert consulting services is part of our three-year integrated patient record strategy to provide our caregivers with the most modern version of the Patient1 CPR software," said St-Jean. "In using pktRounds to extend the reach of Patient1 onto PDAs, our physicians will have complete mobility anywhere and anytime in the hospital to make the best treatment decisions possible in support of patient safety and best practices."

Continuing, St-Jean said that CHAL expects to see significant benefits in terms of clinical decision making and time savings with the ability to retrieve evidence-based medicine content from the Internet and other sources using Patient1. "Many doctors are familiar with Windows' flexibility and desire a standard screen to access seamlessly information management tools such as Excel and Web-enabled evidence-based medicine resources including specialty books and professional association newsletters," she added. "With the enhanced Patient1, our clinician staff can personalize their desktops and perform one-click access to full-text journals and databases in real time to keep abreast of the latest research in their fields of expertise."

According to Scott Groom, chief information officer, NHCS, "The enhanced Patient1 offers significant opportunities for Nash Health Care Systems to re-think clinical workflow and improve processes such as clinical documentation. Our first goal is to introduce all clinicians to the new clinical desktop to establish a more efficient, standard and user-friendly interface. When this project is complete, our clinical staff should never be more than a couple of clicks away from any given function."

Ed Maloney, director of information services application delivery, Hospital of Saint Raphael, said, "We at Saint Raphael's are committed to implementing technological solutions that enhance clinical processes and improve the level of care and safety provided to our patients."

Maloney expressed the need to recruit and retain nurses in the context of the worsening nursing shortage. The hospital is focusing on integrating technologies, such as the enhanced Patient1 solution, with nursing processes to help improve the 511-bed facility's working environment for nurses. "Our intent is not only to harness the power of the Interactive Care Grid and advanced clinical decision support functions to accelerate physician usage of Patient1, but also to extend the reach of the patient care system to our valued nursing employees as an effective way to enhance their work efficiency and job satisfaction," he noted.

About Saint Francis Hospital

Saint Francis Hospital is part of the Saint Francis Health System, a not-for-profit organization that includes Warren Clinic, Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital at Broken Arrow and The Children's Hospital at Saint Francis. More than 735 physicians and 6,600 employees are part of Saint Francis Health System. Warren Clinic is one of the largest physician practices in the state, with locations in 10 Oklahoma communities. Saint Francis Hospital is licensed for 918 beds. More information is available at www.saintfrancis.com.

About Hospital of Saint Raphael

The Hospital of Saint Raphael, in New Haven, Conn., is a 511-bed acute care community teaching hospital affiliated with Yale University School of Medicine. A leader in cardiac, cancer, orthopedic, neuroscience and geriatric services, Saint Raphael's is the largest member of the Saint Raphael Healthcare System. This year, the hospital celebrates its 95th year of providing care to the community. Additional information is available at www.srhs.org.

About Nash Health Care Systems

Nash Health Care Systems, in Rocky Mount, N.C., is a 354-bed, county-authority, not-for-profit corporation comprising four distinct hospitals: Nash General Hospital, Nash Day Hospital, Coastal Plain Hospital & Counseling Center and the Bryant T. Aldridge Rehabilitation Center. More information about Nash is available at http://www.nhcs.org.

About Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) is the fourth largest hospital in the province of Quebec. CHUS, with its 671-bed acute care regional teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Sherbrooke School of Medicine, is a leader in the biomedical research sector. More than 435 physicians and 4,600 employees are part of CHUS. Additional information is available at www.chus.qc.ca.

About Centre Hospitalier Anna-Laberge

Centre Hospitalier Anna-Laberge (CHAL), the most recently built hospital in the province of Quebec, serves one of Canada's fastest growing regional community populations near Montreal. The hospital is known for its technology innovation progress and close cooperation between its medical profession and administration. Additional information is available at www.chal.qc.ca.

About Per-Se Technologies

Per-Se Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSTI) delivers comprehensive business management outsourcing services, financial and clinical software solutions, and Internet-enabled connectivity with business intelligence in the healthcare industry. Atlanta-based Per-Se enables integrated delivery systems and physician practices to optimize the quality of care delivered and profitability of business operations simultaneously. The leading provider of business management outsourcing services to physicians, Per-Se supports 47,000 physicians and 2,000 healthcare organizations. Per-Se processes more than 240 million medical transactions annually, and its solutions manage 26 million patient lives online. Additional information is available at www.per-se.com.

Editor's Note: Per-Se Technologies is a registered trademark of Per-Se Technologies, Inc., and Patient1 and Decision1 are registered trademarks of PST Products, Inc., d/b/a Per-Se Technologies.