RADIOLOGISTS SAVE TIME WITH SPEECHQ FOR RADIOLOGY.

Provena Mercy Medical Center, a 356-bed community-based hospital in Aurora, Illinois, has achieved new levels of efficiency and physician satisfaction using SpeechQ for Radiology(TM), the award-winning front-end interactive speech recognition solution from MedQuist (Pink Sheets: MEDQ). Radiologists in Provena Mercy's Imaging department are self-editing 90 percent of their reports, and report turnaround time (TAT) has been reduced by more than half since the implementation of SpeechQ.

The Imaging department at Provena Mercy performed more than 80,000 exams in 2007. In the past, all reports were dictated and then outsourced to a transcription company. Once transcribed, these reports were then returned to the appropriate radiologist for review and signature. With SpeechQ, average report turnaround time has been reduced from 61/2 hours to 3 hours, and TAT for STAT and ED reports is now five minutes.

Dr. James Studlo, medical director of Imaging Services and chief of the medical staff at Provena Mercy, comments, "When using a traditional dictation system, I often had to rewind and listen to what I had said to confirm that my conclusion was complete. With SpeechQ, it is much easier and faster for me to read what I have dictated and to sign off on a report while the images are displayed." The ED physicians and medical staff at Provena Mercy also appreciate receiving a typed, legible final report within minutes after their patients have had an imaging procedure.

David Angel, administrative director of Medical Imaging and Laboratory Services, adds, "Our success is measured by providing high-quality diagnostic reports to our referring physicians and their patients in a cost-effective and timely manner. Many of the hospital's medical staff have commented on the improved reporting from the Radiology department, and both the imaging staff and the radiologists have noticed a decrease in the amount of phone calls from physicians' offices requesting reports."

Powered by the Philips SpeechMagic(TM) speech engine, SpeechQ for Radiology integrates with most radiology-specific information systems and PACS, and was rated number one for front-end speech recognition by its customers in the KLAS 2006 and 2007 Enterprise Speech Recognition Reports.

"The most important results of this front-end speech recognition solution are being recognized by the patients and their physicians," said Scott Bennett, MedQuist senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. "Because Provena Mercy is using a technology that allows the radiologists to quickly create their diagnostic reports and put them in the hands of a patient's physician, the patient is treated faster, and that treatment is based on a complete and final diagnostic report."

About Provena Mercy

Provena Mercy Medical Center is a 356-bed hospital located in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois. This community-based hospital has a well-earned reputation as a proponent of leading-edge technologies, coupled with a commitment to patient comfort and exceptional patient care. Provena Mercy has received many awards for excellence, including being ranked among the nation's top 10 percent of hospitals for orthopedic services, and recently being awarded a five-star rating by HealthGrades(TM) for cardiovascular services. Provena Mercy is part of Provena Health, a Catholic health system that includes six hospitals, 14 long-term care and senior residential facilities, and over 40 clinics in Illinois and Indiana.

About MedQuist

MedQuist is the largest Medical Transcription Service Organization (MTSO) in the world, and a leader in technology-enabled clinical documentation workflow. MedQuist's enterprise solutions -- including mobile voice capture devices, speech recognition, Web-based workflow platforms, and global network of medical editors -- help healthcare facilities improve patient care, increase physician satisfaction, and lower operational costs.

For more information, visit http://www.medquist.com or call 856/206-4725.