medical billing transcription supplier information

Eclipsys Corporation(R) (Nasdaq:ECLP), The Outcomes Company(R), today announced the immediate general availability of Sunrise(TM) Knowledge-Based Transcription(TM), powered by eScription. A cost-effective medical-transcription solution, Knowledge-Based Transcription uses specialized speech-recognition algorithms, a customized suite of editing tools and Internet technologies to automate and reduce the time required to transform medical dictation into medical transcription, without altering physicians' work processes.

"One of the greatest challenges in implementing new technologies to improve care is to do so in such a way that complements clinicians' activities," said Harvey J. Wilson, Eclipsys chairman and CEO. "Physicians require the convenience of voice dictation and most healthcare organizations provide it. But the standard process of manual transcription is labor-intensive, and the time it typically takes to get the document into the patient's record delays access to vital information. Knowledge-Based Transcription dramatically reduces the amount of time and effort required to get transcribed information into patient charts and into the hands of caregivers.

"More timely and accurate medical transcriptions adds value to clinicians by reducing medical errors and supporting high-quality care," Wilson continued. "Knowledge-Based Transcription complements and enhances our Sunrise Clinical Manager and Record Manager solutions."

Wilson noted that the cost of medical-transcription services is a significant line item in healthcare organizations' budgets. "It's estimated that the U.S. healthcare industry spends over $6 billion per year for medical transcription. And, whether HCOs are utilizing employees or outsourced services, there is a constant shortage of transcriptionists. With Knowledge-Based Transcription, medical transcriptionists can nearly double their productivity."

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B. Braun Medical Inc. today announced that the Horizon Outlook(TM) IV Safety System with DoseScan(TM) technology was featured at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) National Teaching Institute (NTI) held in Atlanta, GA. The Horizon Outlook IV System sets a new standard for the management of infusion therapy by ensuring the "right" patient is receiving the "right" drug in the "right" dose.

According to a 2001 report from the Agency for Health Research and Quality, adverse drug events cause more than 770,000 injuries and deaths each year and cost up to $5.6M per hospital. In addition, the report indicated that patients who suffered from unintended drug events remain in the hospital an average of 8 to 10 days longer than patients who do not experience such mistakes.

To address the most common sources of IV medication administration errors - which involve either the wrong patient, the wrong drug, or the wrong dosage - B. Braun has developed the Horizon Outlook IV System with DoseScan technology, a cornerstone product in B. Braun's safety initiative - People, Products and Programs Working Together for Excellence in Safety(TM). The Horizon Outlook IV System is an IV administration safety system that impacts multiple points within the drug delivery process: from label generation, to patient-medication matching, to automatic infusion pump programming.

With the Horizon Outlook IV System, the hospital pharmacy generates a barcode label on the IV medication bag. At the patient's bedside, the caregiver must scan a barcode on his or her badge to verify authorization, scan the patient's ID barcode to identify the patient, scan the barcode on the medication to confirm that it matches the patient, and scan the infusion parameters on the IV bag to program the infusion device. If the barcodes correlate, the infusion pump will confirm that the information is correct and the caregiver can initiate infusion.

"The Horizon Outlook IV System offers a comprehensive IV safety solution for hospitals of all sizes," said Sheila Kempf, Vice President of Marketing, B. Braun Medical. "Because it integrates with the existing pharmacy information system, the Horizon Outlook IV System can automatically accommodate any drug on the hospital formulary. The system is not limited to a specific number of preprogrammed drugs."

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Information Tool Will Help Hospitals Meet JCAHO Standards

While Eliminating Transcription Costs

Surgical Information Systems announces the release of Surgeon's Notes, a new Paradigm software solution for the O.R. that will significantly improve hospitals' adherence to JCAHO Standards while saving an average of $30.00-$40.00 per case for most hospitals on surgery-related transcription costs.

Surgeon's Notes allows surgeons to create an Operative Report immediately following surgery, without the use of dictation or transcription, in less than 3 minutes of the surgeon's time. The software module is part of an integrated information system that covers "The Whole Operation," from pre-admissions through recovery.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO) Information Management Standards require that an operative report be written or dictated in the medical record immediately after surgery (IM 7.3.2), and that the record be authenticated, or signed, by the surgeon immediately (IM 7.3.2.1) in order to manage the patient throughout the postoperative period and ensure that pertinent information is available to the next caregiver. Based on the number of hospitals receiving JCAHO Type 1 recommendations, indicating insufficient or unsatisfactory compliance, it is apparent that meeting the standards is not always easy. Surgeon's Notes provides a quick, effortless way for surgeons to complete this task.

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The transaction was treated as a tax-free exchange of stock under the pooling method of accounting. The company issued 87,805 shares of Transcend common stock in the transaction and entered into non-compete agreements with GMTS shareholders. GMTS generates current annual revenue of approximately $1.5 million.

Continuing its merger and acquisition growth strategy of the last three years, Transcend Services' transcription division now operates out of Fullerton, Calif.; Atlanta; Chicago; Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa.; Boston, Worcester and Stoughton, Mass. This division now employs over 250 full-time medical transcriptionists with a combined customer base of more than 130 hospitals.

Larry Gerdes, Chief Executive Officer for Transcend Services, Inc., stated:

"Transcend is very excited about our new association with Linda and Paul Greiner, and all of the valued employees and customers of GMTS. GMTS's commitment to quality service has earned them an outstanding reputation in Southern California and we are eager to grow our overall health information management business on the West Coast - including medical transcription with GMTS - in the very near future."

Linda and Paul Greiner, owners of GMTS, stated:

"We are very excited about our company becoming part of Transcend. Transcend is the only organization we believed shared our total commitment to quality and service. In addition, Transcend's financial and managerial resources and its broad vision of where health information management is headed significantly improves GMTS's ability to grow and provide valuable services to its customers in the future."

Transcend, headquartered in Atlanta, is a hospital services company focused on the outsourcing of Health Information Management (HIM) and related function, such as Patient Access (Admitting), for health care providers and has signed multi-year outsourcing contracts with hospitals and health care systems nationwide.

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The transaction was treated as a tax-free exchange of stock under the pooling method of accounting. The Company issued 230,000 shares of Transcend common stock in the transaction and entered into non-compete agreements with EMT shareholders. EMT generates current annual revenue of approximately $1.5 million.

Continuing its merger and acquisition growth strategy of the last three years, Transcend Services has now acquired six (6) transcription companies since 1993 and its transcription division now operates out of Salt Lake City; Fullerton, Calif.; Atlanta; Chicago; Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa.; Boston, Worcester and Stoughton, Mass. This division now employs over 300 full-time medical transcriptionists with a combined customer base of more than 140 hospitals.

Larry Gerdes, chief executive officer for Transcend Services, Inc., stated:

"We believe our new association with Pam and Steve Barkell and all of the valued employees and customers of EMT is a great opportunity for both companies. Pam and Steve's commitment to quality service has earned EMT an outstanding reputation in the Salt Lake City market and we are excited about the opportunity to continue their rapid growth in transcription as well as expand our core HIM contract management business in the western region of the United States."

Pam and Steve Barkell, owners of EMT, stated:

"EMT's top priority has always been high standards for quality transcription and a commitment to provide exceptional service to our clients. The merger with Transcend is consistent with this approach. Transcend's exceptional managerial resources and long-term dedication to the health information arena will greatly enhance our capacity for continued growth and client satisfaction. We enthusiastically look forward to our new association with Transcend."

Transcend, headquartered in Atlanta, is a hospital services company focused on the outsourcing of Health Information Management (HIM) and related functions, such as Patient Access (Admitting), for health care providers and has signed multi-year outsourcing contracts with hospitals and health care systems nationwide.

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TRANSCEND SERVICES, INC. (NASDAQ:TRCR) today announced that it has been featured in a case study conducted by RedCreek, the industry leader in integrated hardware and software virtual private network (VPN) packages.

During the design and development of Transcend Services' industry-leading web-based transcription platform, T2K, customer security and HIPAA (the Health and Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-mandated patient privacy requirements were overriding concerns. After an extensive evaluation of the tools available for secure Internet tunneling, Transcend selected RedCreek and its suite of products. Transcend engaged RedCreek as its partner in the development of a virtual private network to ensure the secured routing of physician dictation and completed transcribed documents between its nationwide production network and over 30 hospital and clinic sites across the nation. The subsequent emphasis now being placed on patient privacy, especially as related to use of the Internet and the secured delivery of medical information by HIPAA, now positions Transcend as a leader in compliance to Health and Human Service's patient privacy policy.

RedCreek recognizes that Transcend's network represents one of the largest and most successful applications of its industry-leading VPN products and, therefore, chose Transcend as the subject for its just released case study. Although the HIPAA standards are not to be fully enacted until April 14, 2003, Transcend and RedCreek cooperated to ensure that state-of-the-art security could be incorporated as part of the T2K development plan.

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HealthScribe, Inc. today announced that it has signed a preferred provider agreement with University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) to offer its outsourced medical transcription service to UHC's alliance of 87 academic medical centers.

This three-year agreement positions HealthScribe as one of two selected preferred providers of medical transcription to UHC members and provides a simple and effective way for members to engage HealthScribe's service. Under the terms of the agreement, HealthScribe will provide dictation equipment, transcription service and technical integration support to UHC members.

HealthScribe will utilize its automated workflow management technology to process medical dictation and electronically return medical reports securely to UHC member organizations.

"University HealthSystem Consortium is pleased to collaborate with HealthScribe, Inc. for medical transcription services. This collaboration creates a unique opportunity for UHC members to substantially reduce their transcription costs while increasing quality and service. We believe this agreement will provide significant value to the UHC membership," said Doug Smith, UHC's Senior Director, Service Development and Outsourcing.

As one of the country's largest and fastest growing private medical transcription companies, HealthScribe currently provides outsourced medical transcription services to several university health care organizations. This agreement confirms HealthScribe as the transcription vendor of choice for high volume accounts. "We are very pleased to be awarded this contract to become a preferred provider for the UHC members," said Steven Russell, HealthScribe's Chief Marketing Officer. "HealthScribe offers UHC members a new transcription alternative, a solution combining industry leading technology and transcription resources to achieve higher compliance to their turnaround time and quality requirements."

About University HealthSystem Consortium

University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) is a member-driven, not-for-profit alliance of academic medical centers. Its mission is to help strengthen the competitive position of members in their respective health care markets.

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This week marks National Medical Transcriptionist Week and Acusis(R), a leading provider of outsourced medical transcription services, is recognizing its team of more than 300 transcriptionists throughout the United States and India for consistently delivering 98 percent accurate reports in a fast turnaround time of 24 hours or less. National Medical Transcriptionist Week celebrates the critical role that medical transcriptionists have in serving as the link between the physician and the patient and ensuring accurate patient record documentation.

Additionally, Acusis today announced that Acusis Quality Control Editor Judy Popovich has earned her certified medical transcriptionist (CMT) credential, which is the highest honor of professional achievement available to medical transcriptionists, from the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT). Acusis has promoted Popovich to Quality Assurance Auditor.

Popovich, who has more than 25 years of medical transcription experience, joined Acusis in May 2002. She has been instrumental in editing reports transcribed by Acusis' team of transcriptionists and providing them with feedback in a mentoring capacity. In her new role, she is responsible for auditing a sample of transcription reports, correcting and categorizing errors to provide continuous quality improvement feedback to the transcription team, and serving as a content expert.

Popovich qualified as a CMT by passing a rigorous two-part certification exam, which covered medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, disease processes, English language and usage, healthcare record, medical specialties and medical report types.

"Our quality assurance process is one of our differentiators that set us a part from other transcription companies. Before we deliver the final reports to our clients, they go through several quality assurance checks," Acusis President and CEO David Iwinski, Jr. said. "Judy is a seasoned transcriptionist and a valuable member of our quality assurance team. She has a proven track record of providing our transcriptionists with sound feedback to ensure that we continually deliver accurate reports in a fast turnaround that meet our clients' expectations."

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Several hundred medical record "transcriptionists" in Los Angeles County, who comprise a cottage industry which sprang up as hospitals began outsourcing medical record keeping a few years ago, are being hit hard by industrywide cost cutting triggered by the federal government's health care reform efforts. Transcriptionists are similar to court reporters in that they transcribe audio records into written reports. Medical facilities are required by law to maintain written records of all surgeries. To comply, surgeons dictate information about each surgery into audiotape recorders. Through special high-tech gadgetry, transcriptionists, many of whom work from home-based offices, can access those audiotapes through their phone lines and download the tapes onto computers. Transcriptionists then play back the audiotapes, convert the tapes into written reports and mail the reports back to the medical facilities.

For this, transcriptionists are typically paid between five and 15 cents per line.

In California, where outsourcing is gaining momentum, at least one-third of the medical transcriptionists currently work as independent contractors out of home offices, with an average transcriptionist making about $30,000 a year by transcribing records on a per-document or per-line basis.

But many transcriptionists have been seeing their incomes reduced by 20 percent or more in recent months.

Pressure to cut costs in this segment of the health care industry is intensifying, confirmed Pam Giamario, chief operating officer of Record Plus Inc. in Manhattan Beach, one of the area's largest medical transcription companies. While many hospitals continue to maintain their own staffs of medical transcriptionists, Record Plus has taken over the task of transcribing medical records for several institutions including Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital in Marina del Rey, Brotman Medical Center in Culver City and South Bay Medical Center in Redondo Beach.

The 80 medical transcriptionists working for Record Plus grudgingly accepted pay reductions of about 16 percent last month. None of those 80 workers is an independent contractor. However, several of Record Plus' transcriptionists telecommute from home offices.

Record Plus officials said the company was forced to pass on its own contract reductions to its transcriptionists, some of whom are single parents.

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David A. Cohen, Chairman and CEO of MedQuist said, "We are extremely excited about this acquisition, which is our second largest to date. Signal's business, with 1998 projected revenues of approximately $10 million based on first half 1998 run rate, will be immediately accretive to the Company's operating earnings (excluding one-time charges related to the transaction). Signal's customers include such prestigious institutions as Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore and University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston."

The Company also announced today that it has named John A. Donohoe, Jr. President of MedQuist. Mr. Donohoe has served as an employee of MedQuist and its predecessor companies for 27 years, most recently as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Cohen said, "I am very pleased to promote John Donohoe to the position of President. John has worked in the medical transcription business with me for 27 years, and there is no one better qualified than John to help me lead the Company forward into the next century. John will retain his current operating responsibilities, and I will maintain my current active role in the business."

MedQuist is a leading national provider of electronic medical transcription and healthcare information management solutions.

Other than historical information set forth herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in any such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks, including, without limitation, inability to meet 1998 projected revenues; failure of acquisition to be accretive to Company's earnings; inability to integrate technology platforms into the Company's base business; inability to manage and maintain growth; inability to penetrate new markets; inability to make and successfully integrate acquisitions; decreased demand for existing products; and lack of a market for new products.

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Internet-based Medical Transcription Company Continues Acquisition Program

Applied Voice Recognition, Inc. (OTCBB: AVRI) announced today that the company has acquired its fourth medical transcription company, based in Denver, Colorado.

The acquired operation has contracts with Columbia, Vencor and physician practice groups located in Colorado.

Linda Willhite, owner of the acquired company stated, "AVRI's VoiceCOMMANDER(R)99 was the key to our decision to sell to AVRI. It's use of secure Internet lines and voice recognition to lower long distance costs and transcription labor costs is a key competitive advantage. We're excited to be part of the AVRI team."

AVRI Chairman & CEO, Timothy Connolly stated, "Following the company's earlier 1998 acquisitions in Dallas, New York, and Miami, AVRI finished the year with its fourth major market acquisition in Denver, Colorado. Following the investment by Lernout & Hauspie Investment Company, AVRI intends to continue to complete acquisitions that are accretive to the Company." AVRI's plan to acquire medical transcription companies in sixteen major markets was launched in March, 1998. The company now has offices located in five of the targeted market areas, and customers in thirteen states throughout the U.S.A.

AVRI plans to implement a common technology platform in all acquisitions based on the company's proprietary transcription product, VoiceCOMMANDER 99. VoiceCOMMANDER 99 is the state of the art technology in medical transcription, utilizing voice recognition, secure Internet communication, and traditional transcription methods to improve the quality and reduce the costs of health care information systems.

Subject to the availability of capital, AVRI intends to continue its aggressive acquisition program in 1999. AVRI believes that utilization of the VoiceCOMMANDER 99 system will increase the profit margins of the companies acquired in its acquisition program and deliver acceptable returns on equity for its shareholders.

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