InterSystems Joins Forces with Forerun on CACHE-based Emergency Department Dashboard Software Product.

ED Application Built on CACHEe Post-Relational Database

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- InterSystems Corporation today announced that its CACHEe post-relational database is being used by application partner Forerun, Inc. as the technology foundation for the commercial version of their ED Dashboard, a proven software application to improve medical care and operational efficiency within emergency departments (EDs). Forerun is targeting a worldwide market estimated at over $1 billion with the CACHEe-based ED Dashboard, which is scheduled for release in 2007.

InterSystems is a leading provider of innovative database and integration software. The InterSystems product line includes the CACHEe post-relational database, Ensemble rapid integration software, and HealthShare health information exchange platform. Formed in late 2005, Forerun is led by a group of leading physicians from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) that includes Dr. Richard Wolfe, Chief of emergency medicine, Dr. Larry Nathanson, Director of emergency medical informatics and architect of the ED Dashboard, and Dr. Jason Tracy, Director of clinical operations for the department of emergency medicine.

CACHEe Delivers Power, Flexibility

Selecting CACHEe as the database technology for the ED Dashboard proved to be an easy decision, according to Dr. Nathanson. "The power and flexibility of CACHEe make it easy to move rapidly from concept to prototype to live application with amazing efficiency," he said. "The design of CACHEe removes layers of complexity and bottlenecks that are typical of other database environments and its object data structure is a much more natural fit for the complex, real-world situations we have to model," Dr. Nathanson continued. "It's also critical that the CACHEe architecture enables easy scalability for building robust enterprise applications," he said.

Another driver on the road to bringing the ED Dashboard to market has been the strong support provided by InterSystems, noted Forerun Chief Executive Officer Ken Wolfe. "We've received invaluable help and phenomenal support from InterSystems and we truly value this close working partnership," he said.

Proven Track Record

The application technology that underlies the ED Dashboard was pioneered by physicians at BIDMC, according to Wolfe. "Dr. John Halamka, Chief Information Officer of BIDMC and Harvard Medical School, led the initiative to build an in-house application to track patients throughout the ED as they receive treatment from multiple caregivers," he said. "Used daily, the system has been continually enhanced and improved over the last six years."

The ED Dashboard provides clinicians and healthcare personnel with real-time patient-centric information. It integrates patient tracking, clinical decision support, and medical information with an easy-to-use interface that was designed by ED physicians for ED physicians, according to Wolfe. "This reflects the fact that the team of physicians providing direction for this product initiative includes recognized leaders such as Dr. Halamka and Dr. Peter Rosen, who is Forerun's vice-chairman and recognized nationally as an authority on emergency medicine," he said.

Easy, low-cost installation and minimal training requirements for new users are expected to be key competitive differentiators. "The browser-based ED Dashboard is a cost-effective product that provides rich functionality today and will continue to be enhanced in order to ensure top-level support for care delivery," Wolfe said. "We're looking forward to bringing this best-of-breed application to market."

"We're very pleased to be contributing to the development of the innovative ED Dashboard," said InterSystems Vice President of Strategic Planning Paul Grabscheid. "The combination of high performance CACHEe database technology and the rich functionality delivered by this application should prove very attractive to healthcare institutions worldwide."

About InterSystems

For over 25 years, InterSystems Corporation has been a technology innovation leader in database and integration software. The CACHEe post-relational database, Ensemble rapid integration software and HealthShare health information exchange platform enable developers to quickly create, deploy and integrate high-performance systems. With world headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, InterSystems has offices in 22 countries and provides support to customers in 88 countries.

InterSystems is a leader in integration technology and the world's #1 database provider in healthcare, with its products used by most major hospitals and labs, including America's 10 best hospitals as rated by U.S. News and World Report. For more information, visit InterSystems.com.

About Forerun

Headquartered in Winchester, Mass., Forerun, Inc. is a development-stage company seeking to be a leading provider of clinical information software, systems, tools, services, and devices that will help improve the quality of medical care within the emergency department.

Forerun owns the exclusive commercial rights to the ED Dashboard, a nationally recognized, clinically focused ED information system. The ED Dashboard has more than six years of proven operational success at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

The ED Dashboard improves medical care and the operational efficiency of the emergency department. Data points from many sources are consolidated at a single display, providing a more comprehensive and integrated view of the patient's condition. The ED Dashboard's real-time patient information capabilities, clinical decision support, and enhanced communication result in reduced patient waiting times, length of stay, medical errors, and duplicate test ordering while delivering improved patient satisfaction and continuity of care.

For additional information, visit www.eddashboard.com.