Rockford Industries, Inc. Joins Office of the Future Consortium as Financial Services Member.SKANEATELES FALLS, N.Y.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 14, 1998-- New financing tools make "Office of the Future" a reality for more physicians The Office of the Future Research and Development Consortium announced today that medical equipment financing leader Rockford Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : ROCF ROCF Rosicrucian Order Crotona Fellowship ) has joined the Consortium to provide practical and affordable financing solutions for primary care physicians wishing to upgrade to the Office of the Future. Rockford becomes the eighth major firm to join the Consortium, which was founded by Welch Allyn and Midmark in 1996. The Office of the Future Consortium consists of leading medical and technology companies that have combined efforts and products to create fully integrated physicians' offices that are more cost-effective, more efficient and more doctor/patient friendly. In response to the demands of managed care, the Office of the Future enables office-based physicians such as family practitioners, internists and OB/Gyns to expand the number and scope of diagnostic procedures they can administer in their own offices. Rockford Industries, Inc., based in Santa Ana, CA, has been a leading medical equipment financing firm for more than 14 years, specializing in providing simple, convenient and cost-effective financing programs. Its collaboration with the Consortium will enable physicians, practices and clinics purchasing an Office of the Future to choose from a variety of flexible financial packages that match the business realities of their own organizations. Packages will include financing for a complete Office of the Future, including new medical equipment technology, state-of-the-art furnishings and the unique ENTITY electronic patient record software developed by Consortium member, Health Care Data Systems (HCDS HCDS Health Care Data Systems HCDS Hardline Cable Distribution System HCDS Health Care Development Services, Inc. (Highland Park, IL) HCDS High Capacity Digital Service ). These unique financing packages can also include maintenance, upgradeability, training, disposable supplies and fee-per-use options. According to Peter Soderberg, group vice-president and chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. for Welch Allyn Medical Products, Rockford is an ideal financing company for the Office of the Future because they offer the most unique and aggressive options for a dynamic marketplace. "For the past two years, the members of the Consortium have worked together to create a primary care physician's office integrating software and hardware that can accumulate the patient encounter data, archive it and make it easily accessible for future reference," Soderberg said. "Collaborating with a financing company that will include this vital component of the Office of the Future in its packages is vital to the success of this project." Lou Fisher, president of Midmark, said that Rockford's financial packages will make the purchase of a complete Office of the Future a practical choice for new and established physicians. "Because we now have a financing source that recognizes the growing and inseparable bond between medical software and medical equipment, as well as between medical products and services, the Office of the Future can and will become a widespread reality," Fisher said. According to Mike Sheehan, senior vice president, Rockford Industries, the financing company seized the opportunity to work with the Consortium because of its forward approach to meeting the changing demands of primary care physicians. "As managed care continues to force doctors to perform hospital-like tests and procedures in their own offices, the need to provide them with affordable and packaged solutions - not just pieces of equipment -- becomes more prevalent," Sheehan said. "We're convinced that collaborating with the Office of the Future team puts Rockford in the forefront of developments. We see that the Consortium is miles ahead of anyone else in this area, and is bringing the future of health care into doctors' offices today." Welch Allyn, Skaneateles Falls, NY, is a designer and manufacturer of innovative medical diagnostic instruments. Versailles, Ohio-based Midmark is a maker of market-leading procedure and examination tables, sterilizers and modular cabinetry. In addition to the two founding partners, the Office of the Future Consortium also includes Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : HWP HWP Height (and) Weight Proportionate HWP Half-Wave Plate HWP Highway Patrol HWP Height Weight Proportional HWP Hewlett-Packard Corporation (stock symbol) HWP Hydrolyzed Whey Peptides ), Marquette Medical Systems (NASDAQ: MARQ MARQ Mobility Assisted Resolution of Queries MARQ Mileage and Rate Quote ) and Schiller AG, Switzerland-based manufacturer of cardiopulmonary cardiopulmonary /car·dio·pul·mo·nary/ (kahr?de-o-pool´mah-nar-e) pertaining to the heart and lungs. car·di·o·pul·mo·nar·y adj. Of, relating to, or involving both the heart and the lungs. devices. All three are world leaders in electrocardiographic electrocardiographic emanating from or pertaining to electrocardiography. electrocardiographic monitoring maintenance of a more or less continuous surveillance of a patient's cardiac status by means of electrocardiography. (ECG ECG electrocardiogram. ECG abbr. 1. electrocardiogram 2. electrocardiograph ECG Also called an electrocardiogram, it records the electrical activity of the heart. ) technology. Hewlett-Packard is also a collaborator in the OB/Gyn Office of the Future with its fetal monitoring fetal monitoring Obstetrics A general term which can refer to any maneuver used to evaluate the fetus' status during pregnancy–eg, measurement of heartbeat and visual examination of the amniotic sac; however, as used, FM usually refers to the use of systems. Other Consortium members are Health Care Data Systems, Dewitt, NY, a leading provider of data management systems for the health care industry for more than 25 years, and Lunar Corporation, (NASDAQ: LUNR LUNR Land Use and Natural Resources Inventory System ) Madison, WI, the leading developer and manufacturer of innovative medical devices for the assessment of osteoporosis, metabolic bone diseases metabolic bone disease Any defect in bone absorption or deposition that alters the PTH/calcium-phosphate/vitamin D axis, often with ↑ bone fragility Etiology Fibrous dysplasia, Langerhans' cell histiocytosis/histiocytosis X, acromegaly, corticosteroid therapy, and orthopedic surgery Orthopedic Surgery Definition Orthopedic (sometimes spelled orthopaedic) surgery is surgery performed by a medical specialist, such as an orthopedist or orthopedic surgeon, trained to deal with problems that develop in the bones, joints, and ligaments . Physicians and media with questions are invited to visit the Office of the Future web page at www.welchallyn.com/medical/office.htm. or contact the Consortium's coordinators: Dick Wuebker (Midmark, 937-526-3662) or John Haberstock (Welch Allyn, 315-685-4518).
CONTACT: Welch Allyn
John Haberstock, 315/685-4518
or
Midmark
Dick Wuebker, 937/526-3662
or
Rockford Industries
Mike Sheehan, 972/753-4877
or
Eric Mower and Associates
Trisha Torrey, 315/466-1000 (ttorrey@eric.mower.com)
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