Picis Named Finalist for 2000 Industry Solution Awards.

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 13, 2000

Picis, a world leader in perioperative and critical care information systems, is proud to announce its selection as a finalist for 2000 Industry Solution Awards for Healthcare. Sponsored by Microsoft Corp., Picis is one of three finalists for the award in the Acute Care -Clinical/Patient Financial Information Systems category based on its use of Microsoft technology to provide tangible business benefits to health-care organizations. Picis was able to prove these benefits through the use of the Picis CareSuite(TM) anesthesia information solution at several of the most prestigious healthcare facilities in America.

CareSuite automates the pre-anesthesia, pre-surgery evaluation, intraoperative anesthesia record, postoperative recovery as well as the critical care environment with patented technology that seamlessly integrates data from all medical devices and healthcare information systems. CareSuite's infrastructure provides Picis' customers with the precise and accurate information they need to maintain or improve standards of quality, while increasing efficiency and cost effectiveness.

A preliminary judging panel of industry experts and analysts selected finalists in each of seven categories which includes acute care-administrative/financial systems, acute care-clinical/patient information systems, ambulatory care-administrative/financial systems, ambulatory care-clinical/patient information systems, managed care, smart devices and other. These finalists will have the opportunity to demonstrate their solutions at the Windows on Healthcare 2000 conference - the sixth annual conference and exhibition of the Microsoft Healthcare Users Group (MS-HUG) - in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 2, 2000. Participants will be tested on a range of measurable business-benefit scenarios and asked to demonstrate how their application offers customers the best features and functionality. One winner of each category will be chosen after the judges view their solutions on-site and will be announced in a special ceremony October 3 in the Microsoft booth during the conference. Finalists will be showcased in the September issue of Health Data Management, and winners will be honored in the October issue of Modern Healthcare magazine.

"By 2005, it's expected that 80 percent of the hospital budget will be dedicated to the most acute care areas such as the OR and ICU, and many hospitals are seeking tools like Picis CareSuite to contain costs and drive better outcomes in these areas," said Todd Cozzens, CEO and president of Picis. "Increasing clinical performance is the holy grail for healthcare providers in the new millennium. Microsoft and its products have helped us to bring acceptance of our life-critical systems to the average hospital user - doctors and nurses, in a way that fits in perfectly with the overall IT goals and vision of the hospital."

Picis has a long history of close collaboration with the Microsoft Corp. The Picis products were the first to deploy patient automation software at the point of care on PC's running Microsoft DOS and Windows in the mid 80's. In 1994, Picis released its first native Windows NT-based version, one of the first commercial medical applications to run on this new operating system. Microsoft SQL Server and BackOffice, Microsoft ActiveX, Microsoft Excel, Internet Explorer and other Microsoft technologies as well as the DNA architecture are used extensively throughout the Picis product range and products are already in the planning stages which will deploy the new Microsoft .NET Platform.

"Software providers are taking advantage of the interoperability and scalability of Microsoft's enterprise platform technology to develop innovative solutions that will lead into future .NET Platform software and services desired by healthcare organizations," said Davide Vigano, Public Sector and Healthcare director at Microsoft Corp. "Finalists such as Picis demonstrate the ability to create impressive solutions required in today's healthcare environment."

About Picis

Picis is a world leader in the development and marketing of software and Internet-based critical care & perioperative information solutions. Picis CareSuite automates the flow of clinical data from medical devices and information systems as well as organizes caregiver workflow in the critical care and perioperative setting to improve patient outcomes. To be launched later this year, Savent(TM) is a revolutionary new suite of Internet and software-based knowledge tools that allows users to access a national perioperative data warehouse for advanced analysis and clinical performance improvement. CareSuite is installed in world-renowned medical facilities such as the Mayo Clinic, Saint Luke's-Shawnee Mission Health System, the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Medical Center. Picis, with worldwide headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, has sales and technical support staff throughout North America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. Picis also has distribution partnerships with IDX Systems Corporation (Nasdaq: IDXC), QuadraMed Corporation (Nasdaq: QMDC), and Siemens. For more information, visit the Picis web site at www.picis.com or the Microsoft web site at www.microsoft.com/presspass/.