medical billing transcription supplier information

The presence of alternatively spliced or extra "illegitimately spliced transcripts" of interleukins and colony stimulating factors that may arise in diseased situations (3) in low copy numbers has been reported earlier. In leprosy lesions, a striking difference in the cytokine mRNA profile has been shown by Yamamura, et al. (4). The mRNA for gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) was found to be abundant in tuberculoid lesions as compared to the anergic lepromatous lesions.

In our report, we have analyzed nine representative cases of leprosy (five tuberculoid and four lepromatous) for the presence of low copy number transcripts of IFN-gammaby reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We employed nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) followed by silver staining as a simple, economical and sensitive alternative to radiolabeling amplicons. Peripheral blood lymphocytes isolated from the patients were challenged with Mycobacterium leprae whole cell-free extract antigens (CD225; kindly provided by Dr. R. J. W. Rees, WHO/IMMLEP) in vitro for 48 hr and used for the isolation of RNA (1) and cDNA amplification as described (4) at an annealing temperature of 55 deg C. A single band of the expected size of 355 bp was detected in both 1.5% agarose (Fig. 1) and 8% nondenaturing polyacrylamide (Fig. 2a) gels in all of the leprosy cases. The same polyacrylamide gel, when processed for modified silver staining (2), detected an extra 515 bp band (lanes 1,6,7,8,9; Fig. 2b). Interestingly, this extra band of 515 bp was detected in all four of the lepromatous leprosy cases. When subjected to hybridization, the IFN-gamma cDNA probe hybridized strongly to both the original 355-bp as well as the extra 515-bp amplicons (Fig. 3) but to none of the numerous amplicons generated by design (lanes 4 and 5; Fig. 2) under low stringent conditions (annealing at 50 deg C) because of mispriming.

Our observation of an extra transcript of IFN-gamma corresponding to 515-bp size detected as a rare, low copy number RNA molecule in lepromatous cases raises the possibility of the presence of an alternate population of IFN-gamma. However, further extensive studies are required to be performed on a large number of patients to establish this distinct population of IFN-gamma mRNA that may contribute toward the M. lepraespecific cellular anergy in the multibacillary leprosy patients.

Encounter Care Solutions, Inc. (formerly known as eCare Solutions, Inc.), (OTC BB: ECSL), and Provider Select, a wholly owned subsidiary of Premier, Inc., announced that Encounter Care Solutions has been selected to sell EncounterPro, the award winning electronic medical record, to the 46,000 physician members of Provider Select.

EncounterPro has captured several awards, the most recent of which was first place as the best ambulatory care electronic medical record, at the Towards an Electronic Medical Record (TEPR) 2000 Conference. EncounterPro is distinctive for its unique workflow and patient tracking systems that save providers and their staff an astonishing amount of time, increase revenues and enhance the delivery of quality care. "Our experience shows that EncounterPRO is easy to learn and easy to use. Most practices go live after two days of training and paperless in two weeks. We also offer wireless systems," stated Betty C. Jones, President of Encounter Care Solutions.

"We are constantly looking for partners that can offer Provider Select members ways to increase their productivity and improve patient care. Encounter Care Solutions meets that criteria by providing an outstanding electronic medical record that can facilitate the immediate accessibility of patient information," said Mel Deutsch, President of Provider Select.

About Provider Select

Provider Select is an operations improvement company dedicated to the non-acute care market. Backed by the purchasing power of Premier, Provider Select:MD addresses the diverse and unique needs of the physician market. Its membership includes more than 15,000 practices representing over 46,000 physicians.

The program offers savings opportunities on a broad portfolio of products and services beyond traditional medical/surgical supplies. These contracts include transcription services, office supplies, Internet claims processing and magazine subscriptions. Please visit our Web site at http://www.providerselect.com .

About Premier

Premier is one of the largest strategic alliances in the country, owned by 217 health care systems operating more than 800 hospitals and affiliated with more than 900 other hospitals. Its group purchasing program serves approximately 1,800 hospitals, several thousand physician practices, and other non-acute care sites. Collectively, these providers purchase approximately $12 billion a year through Premier group contracts for pharmaceuticals, biomedical equipment, and other supplies. Visit Premier's Web site at http://www.premierinc.com .

Certain statements and information included in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words or phrases "will likely result", "are expected to", "will continue", "is anticipated", "estimate", "projected", "intends to" or similar expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to certain risks, known and unknown, and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic conditions, dependence on management, dilution to shareholders, lack of capital, changes in laws or regulations, the affects of rapid growth upon the Company and the ability of management to effectively respond to the growth, demand for products and services of the Company, newly developing technologies, its ability to compete, conflicts of interest in related party transactions, regulatory matters, protection of technology, lack of industry standards, the effects of competition, and the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing. Such factors could materially adversely affect the Company's financial performance and could cause the Company's actual results for future periods to differ materially from any opinions or statements expressed within this press release. Additional discussion of such factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations is contained in the Company's SEC filings.

Transcend Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:TRCRC) announced the sale of its Utah-based medical transcription operations to MedQuist, Inc. (Nasdaq:MEDQ)

The purchase price was $2.3 million in cash and a $125,000 note.

The sale was part of an overall restructuring by Transcend designed to improve the Company's capital structure, meet Nasdaq's continued listing requirements, and to focus its operations and growth on its national transcription service strategy. The Utah operation, while profitable and generating positive cash flow, did not utilize the Company's web-based national transcription platform. In connection with the sale, Transcend signed a 3 year non-compete agreement prohibiting the Company from providing transcription services in the state of Utah.

The Company is continuing to execute its restructuring plan and expects to finalize the sale of its Northeast regions transcription operations, currently under a letter of intent, before the end of the year. The restructuring plan also includes selling the Company's medical records management operations and its Cascade Health Information Software subsidiary.

Transcend Services, Inc. provides patient information management solutions to hospitals and other associated healthcare providers including management of medical records operations, transcription of physicians' dictated medical notes, consulting relating to medical records management and reimbursement coding, and state-of-the-art software for the management of patient information.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are competitive pressures, the mix of service revenue, changes in pricing policies, delays in sales revenue recognition, lower-than-expected demand for Transcend's solutions, business conditions in the integrated healthcare delivery network market, general economic conditions and the risk factors detailed from time to time in Transcend's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

MT. LAUREL, N.J. -- MedQuist Inc. (Pink Sheets: MEDQ.PK) today announced the filing of a new lawsuit against the Company, styled Myers, et al. v. MedQuist Inc. and MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd., Case No. 05CV 4608 (JBS). The action is allegedly brought on behalf of a putative class of MedQuist's employee and independent contractor transcriptionists who claim that they contracted with the Company to be paid per "AAMT line," but were underpaid due to intentional miscounting of the number of characters and lines transcribed. The AAMT unit of measure was jointly developed by the American Association of Medical Transcriptionists and other industry groups, but is no longer supported by these groups due to ambiguities inherent in the definition. The named plaintiffs assert claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and request an accounting.

The allegations of the Myers case are substantially similar to those in Hoffman, et al. v. MedQuist, et al., Case No. 1:04-CV-3452 (WSD), another putative class action filed earlier this year in federal court in Georgia. The Company is seeking to have the Hoffman action transferred to New Jersey and will request that it be consolidated with the Myers case. As with the Hoffman action, the Company believes that the claims asserted in Myers have no merit, and will vigorously defend against the allegations.

MedQuist, a member of the Philips Group of Companies, is a leading provider of electronic medical transcription, health information and document management products and services. MedQuist provides document workflow management, digital dictation, speech recognition, mobile dictation devices, Web-based transcription, electronic signature, medical coding products and outsourcing services.

TRANSCEND SERVICES, INC. (NASDAQ:TRCRC) announced the sale of its Northeast-based medical transcription operations to MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd., a subsidiary of MedQuist, Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDQ) The purchase price was $4.4 million in cash and a $231,500 note.

The sale completes the first phase of the overall restructuring plan by Transcend designed to improve the Company's capital structure, meet Nasdaq's continued listing requirements, and to focus its operations and growth on its internet-based transcription service strategy. In this phase, the Company sold transcription operations that do not operate on the Company's internet platform. In addition to the Northeast-based operations, the Company previously sold its Utah-based operations and assigned four contracts associated with other transcription operations. In connection with these sales, Transcend signed three year non-compete agreements with MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd. prohibiting the Company from providing transcription services in the states of Utah, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, subject to certain exceptions.

The combined revenue for the operations sold was approximately 15% of total current revenues and 28% of transcription revenues. Total sales price from these three transactions was $7.7 million, or $.32 per share. In addition, the Company could realize up to an additional $750,000 in earn-out payments under the contract assignment agreement over the next two years.

These transactions will result in a gain on sale, which will improve the Company's tangible net worth, as calculated by Nasdaq. The Company's common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market under an exception granted by Nasdaq through January 14, 2000. In addition to tangible net worth requirements, Nasdaq requires that the Company's stock price exceed $1.00 per share on January 14, 2000. The Company has called a special meeting of its shareholders on December 30, 1999 to vote on a proposal to effect a 1 for 5 reverse stock split in order to comply with Nasdaq listing requirements. Should the shareholders approve the reverse split, the Company will monitor how the stock trades on its own and may defer making the reverse stock split effective.

To keep pace with the increasing volumes and demands for medical transcription technology and services, Spheris used the 2005 American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) convention to announce its strong growth plans for the future.

While many transcription companies and facilities are struggling to meet aggressive turnaround times and find qualified medical transcriptionists, Spheris has embarked on a strategic plan to further develop its solution offerings and network of resources.

"The 2006 Spheris strategic plan is grounded in our promise to provide superior service to meet our customers' needs," said Spheris Vice President of Marketing Harry Shaw. "Simply put, that means having a breadth of sophisticated, around-the-clock resources ready to be deployed all hours of the day, all days of the year."

According to Shaw, Spheris has designed a multi-faceted "follow the sun" approach that places emphasis on recruiting and retaining the most qualified MTs here in the states as well as expanding its global presence.

"Spheris customers operate in a 24-hour-a-day environment," said Shaw. "As electronic documentation becomes more and more critical to patient care, Spheris' strategy is to have our workforce available 24/7 in order to appropriately service our customers through turnaround times and quality standards."

The differentiating factor between the Spheris global model and the outsourcing model is that Spheris directly employs all of the MTs working in their two Indian facilities, located in Bangalore and Coimbatore. "It's important to us that all of the Spheris MTs -- both domestically and globally -- work under the highest quality standards, including strict privacy and security safeguards," said Shaw.

Spheris is already on the path to hiring more than 1,500 U.S.-based medical transcriptionists through innovative recruiting and retention efforts, partnerships with community colleges and other teaching institutions to bring new MTs into the profession, enhanced in-house training programs, the development of career path programs and offering industry-leading continuing education programs for all of its MTs.

MedQuist Inc. (Pink Sheets: MEDQ.PK) announced today certain preliminary, partial and unaudited financial results, and provided updated information regarding previously-announced litigation and governmental investigations and proceedings. Once the Company completes the financial assessment and review of its billing practices disclosed in the Company's previous filings with the SEC, the Company expects that KPMG LLP, its independent registered public accounting firm, will review and/or audit the Company's financial statements, as appropriate. While, at this time, the Company cannot estimate the total costs of (i) the billing review, (ii) defense of the class action matters, (iii) the SEC investigation, and (iv) compliance with the Department of Justice investigation, all of which have been previously disclosed in either the Company's filings with the SEC or the Company's press releases, the costs incurred to date by the Company in connection with the foregoing have been included in the results set forth below. Because the completion of the billing review and resolution of the litigation and governmental investigatory matters are pending, the Company is not certain whether any changes to the accounting treatment of any component of its consolidated financial statements will be required and, if any changes are necessary, whether any such changes would have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, the financial information set forth below is preliminary, unaudited, and subject to change based on the completion of the financial assessment and review of the Company's billing practices, resolution of the class action matters and governmental investigations and proceedings, and the completion of the review and/or audit of its financial statements, as appropriate.

Five-Campus Healthcare System to Streamline Connectivity Between Clinics and Improve Internal Processes to Promote Patient Safety

eClinicalWorks, the leading provider of integrated end-to-end electronic medical records and practice management systems for multi-location, multi-specialty medical practices, today announced Baptist Health has selected the eClinicalWorks unified software solution for Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Practice Management (PM) as one of the options for their independent medical staff. More than 1,300 physicians at Baptist Health provide comprehensive care to patients in both Northeast Florida and Southern Georgia at every stage of life. The eClinicalWorks unified solution will help improve internal processes at Baptist Health by simplifying connectivity between the health system's five campuses, and promoting patient safety while reducing costs.

"Baptist Health has a commitment to our community to take the 'Best Care' of our friends and neighbors," says Serrine Dully, manager, physician practices information services, Baptist Health. "The health care industry is rapidly moving in the direction of digital care systems to improve patient safety and streamline processes. Baptist Health wants to offer any improved efficiencies as they become available. We believe eClinicalWorks is an improvement in how we can deliver healthcare in the 21st century."

eClinicalWorks' award-winning EMR solution allows healthcare providers to manage patient flow, immediately access patient records in-house or remotely, electronically communicate with the referring physicians and securely send consult notes and clinical data. Users can easily access and review complete patient histories, past visits, current medications, allergies, labs and charts. Integrated with EMR is eClinicalWorks Practice Management, designed to instantly streamline the medical billing process.

MINNEAPOLIS -- ProVation(R) Medical announced today that Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center has selected ProVation(R) MD software for Gastroenterology procedure documentation and coding compliance.

Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center is a 490-bed Magnet facility located in Sioux Falls, SD. Avera McKennan is a member of Avera Health, a regional healthcare family with more than 100 locations in eastern South Dakota and neighboring states. In 2003 and 2004, the hospital was recognized as a Distinguished Clinical Hospital by HealthGrades, a leading healthcare rating organization.

ProVation(R) MD software for multi-specialty procedure documentation and coding compliance replaces the current dictation/transcription approach and streamlines the coding and billing process. Driven by deep medical content, ProVation MD allows clinicians to quickly and completely document medical procedures and apply the appropriate CPT and ICD codes, as well as CCI edits.

"Avera McKennan is committed to making individuals and communities healthier," said David Kapaska, DO, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs. "As a not-for-profit organization, we strive to use our resources as efficiently as possible. A software solution like ProVation MD, which establishes efficient, streamlined workflows and ensures that procedure documentation is complete and coding is compliant, better enables us to meet this objective."

"Avera McKennan has been a regional healthcare leader for almost a century," said Mark Wagner, President and CEO, ProVation Medical. "We are pleased to add them to the distinguished list of more than 260 hospitals and ASCs currently using ProVation software to streamline documentation and ensure compliant coding and timely, proper reimbursement."

About Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center

Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center is a member of Avera Health, a regional healthcare family with more than 100 locations in eastern South Dakota and neighboring states. Avera McKennan is a 490-bed Magnet facility recognized for excellence in behavioral health, cancer care, cardiac care, emergency medicine and trauma, air ambulance services, home health and hospice programs, medical education and research, neurosciences, obstetrics, orthopedics, pediatrics, rehabilitation services and a full range of wellness services.

InteGreat, a leading provider of electronic medical record (EMR) systems for physician group practices, today released its IC-Chart Onsite ASP (Onsite Applications Services Provider) module. It allows physician practices with five to 30 doctors to afford InteGreat's world-class electronic medical record (EMR) solution, traditionally used only by large clinics.

IC-Chart Onsite ASP features an economical monthly leasing option, with minimal upfront costs. InteGreat will remotely support the server and manage the software and technology infrastructure for a fixed, predictable monthly fee as well as provide ongoing technical staffing and operational support.

"We recognize that group practices of all sizes need the efficiency and productivity of a robust EMR system but smaller groups often lack the resources for the typically high upfront capital investment," explains Jay Anders, M.D., vice president and medical director at InteGreat. "Our new onsite application services provider module overcomes this challenge by offering all the benefits of InteGreat's sophisticated EMR without the high initial costs or the need to retain an in-house IT expert. InteGreat's IC-Chart is now affordable to small and mid-sized physician groups ranging from five to 30 physicians."

IC-Chart Onsite ASP combines the benefits of an application services provider (ASP), such as lower cost of ownership and reduced capital investment, with the ability to keep the server onsite -- at the group's facility. The practice is guaranteed performance up-time and recaps the advantages of remote technical support and redundant data back-up at a secure data storage center, with redundant power in a secured environment.

Leasing plan includes:

--  Hardware
--  Initial software
--  Implementation/training
--  Interfaces (4)
--  Neo-tool interface engine
--  Disaster recovery
   

Services include:

--  Hardware trouble shooting
--  Software updates
--  Backup maintenance
--  Database table maintenance
   

SAN DIEGO -- Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Pink Sheets:LGND) announced today that results reported by GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) in phase II studies of eltrombopag, SB-497115 ("115"), a small-molecule drug that mimics the activity of thrombopoietin (TPO), a protein factor that promotes growth and production of blood platelets, were promising.

On November 30, 2005, during a review of its oncology portfolio, GSK presented data from a phase II dose-ranging clinical trial that showed 115 significantly raised platelet counts in adult patients. GSK described the phase II studies well underway in three major indications: idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), hepatitis C (HCV) and chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT). The phase II results in adult patients with chronic ITP that had failed at least one prior therapy and with platelet counts less than 30,000 showed that 66% of patients receiving the 50 mg dose and 87% of patients treated with 115's highest dose (75 mg/day) had counts greater than or equal to 50,000 after six weeks and many of those had reached normal platelet levels within the first two to three weeks of treatment.

In comparison, only 13% of placebo-treated patients showed platelet increases greater than or equal to 50,000 after six weeks. The frequency of side effects was comparable between patients treated with placebo and those treated with eltrombopag. Additional data presented at the meeting showed encouraging results in an interim analysis in a phase II study in HCV patients.

"We are pleased to see that our vision of the early 1990's of the emergence of an exciting, new TPO pharmaceutical market is now rapidly being translated to concrete product assets with great potential to meet unmet patient needs and for shareholder value. The assets eltrombopag and SB-539448 resulted from a collaboration agreement GSK entered into with Ligand in 1995, and which incorporated TPO as a target in 1997 while an internal program initiated following completion of the collaborative program has produced LGD4665, now targeted for IND filing in the first half of 2006," said David E. Robinson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ligand Pharmaceuticals. "We believe the size and potential of the emerging thrombocytopenia market will clearly support multiple once-a-day oral product entries and therefore have made LGD4665 our top new chemical entity product development priority."

JAWZ Inc. (NASDAQ:JAWZ), a leading provider of secure information management solutions, today announced it has completed system development of the ArcamedX(TM) system.

Arcamatrix Corporation of Toronto and Denver, Colorado recently launched a unique digital system that improves the efficiency and security with which doctors handle their patient files. The initial product, ArcamedX(TM), is a system enabling physicians and other health care professionals to digitally capture, deliver, store and transcribe health care information documents in a secure browser based environment. ArcamedX(TM) utilizes proprietary software designed by Arcamatrix, and developed by JAWZ, on a Windows and Oracle-based platform.

"Health care professionals are now starting to realize the benefits of IT and the need for IT Security," said Robert Kubbernus, Chairman and CEO, JAWZ Inc. "We were pleased to be the developers for Arcamatrix on such an innovative suite of products and services. The biggest advantage of this system is the security aspect. With HIPAA in the U.S and Bill C-6 in Canada, this service delivers on an immediate need for security and patient confidentiality throughout North America."

The ArcamedX(TM) service allows doctors to dictate their notes into a digital hand held device to create voice recordings, which are then uploaded to the ArcamedX(TM) servers using a secure internet web browser. The voice files are stored encrypted and are optionally transcribed into text. The text files are returned to the doctor and are stored with the original voice recordings. All files (scanned documents, text files, voice and image files) can be transmitted, stored and forwarded to other recipients within a matter of seconds. The ArcamedX(TM) system can also be used to upgrade older transcription systems that hospitals and large clinics use.

"It enables hospitals and large clinics to continue to use their transcription pools while benefiting from the secure file storage and distribution the ArcamedX(TM) system provides," said James Bateman, President, Arcamatrix Corporation.

InteGreat ( www.igreat.com ), a leading provider of electronic health record (EHR) systems, unifies practice management and EHR through a new application designed to increase workflow and revenue while reducing manual intervention and operational costs. InteGreat's new practice management solution, called IC-Manage, works seamlessly with InteGreat's IC-Chart EHR system, which provides access to clinical data, including patient demographic information, laboratory reports, transcribed documents and radiology records.

IC-Manage transparently integrates with IC-Chart, allowing practices to unite clinical information with practice management data, such as appointment scheduling. Among other benefits, it will improve patient care and increase patient volume for clinics. IC-Manage runs on a Microsoft database and Microsoft Explorer browser.

"In developing IC-Manage, we have responded to requests for one system to handle both EHR and practice management," says Jim Houtz, InteGreat's CEO. "This is powerful software that will give clinical users the same look and feel whether they are scheduling an appointment, posting a payment or documenting a clinical visit. With IC-Manage, workflow will now be more in line with how a practice really works."

IC-Manage's intuitive screen environment allows clinic personnel to:

--  Schedule appointments, including recurring office visits, for single
   and multiple resources;
--  Manage authorized visits;
--  Verify insurance eligibility and medical necessity;
--  Manage accounts receivable (insurance billing and payments, patient
   billing, collection reports and work lists); and
--  Improve their financial-reporting capabilities, including generation
   of daily, monthly and yearly processing reports; practice analysis reports;
   reimbursement analysis by financial class and insurance; physician
   productivity analyses; patient and guarantor transaction history; and more.

   

IC-Chart's Features and Benefits

IC-Chart application looks and functions like a physician's current patient charts, so integrating the solution into the physician's office workflow is natural and painless. Office personnel typically need less than one hour to learn the system. Complexity increases as more functionality is added, yet the system's design makes each module easy to learn and use.

helus, Inc., a provider of managed connectivity and integrated applications services to community physicians, hospitals and healthcare partners, today announced the selection of HealthScribe, Inc., a leading provider of outsourced medical transcription service, to enhance the helus workspace(TM) - an integrated suite of on-line content and applications services that simplify the community healthcare delivery process.

Under the terms of the agreement, physicians will register with helus to access HealthScribe's 1-800 voice dictation transcription service and receive, edit, and electronically sign transcriptions online through the secure helus workspace(TM). The integration of HealthScribe's services into the helus workspace(TM) will improve workflow and information management: Physicians will be able to automated common clinical processes and easily and securely share their digital content.

In addition , helus makes it easier for physicians to manage compliance with new federal laws on data exchange and confidentiality by maintaining a single community repository that includes facility, pharmacy, and ambulatory patient data.

"Our relationship with HealthScribe provides an unparalleled combination of superior quality transcriptions to our customers," said Larry Schor, President and CEO of helus. "with helus' community messaging service that gives physicians the ability to collaborate with their on-line community health partners."

HealthScribe, one of Inc. magazines 500 fastest growing companies, delivers its transcriptions with HIPAA-ready security, and within a guaranteed 24-hour turnaround time.

"Our strategic partnership with helus will allow their customers to reduce overhead costs, time on the phone, and their transcription redo headaches," added Michael King, CEO of HealthScribe. "The unmatched workflow efficiencies and time-savings gained from our integrated service will make outsourced transcription the most practical option for community physicians."

HEALTHvision, Inc. , a leading healthcare Internet company has selected HealthScribe, Inc. , a leading provider of outsourced medical transcription service to enhance its physician solution suite, CAREvision.

Under the terms of the agreement, HEALTHvision will offer physicians the ability to have their dictated patient reports transcribed by HealthScribe and securely delivered for on-line reviewing, editing, and signature within CAREvision. With HealthScribe, physicians receive timely, high quality transcribed reports, common on-line access and distribution of clinical data, and the ability to maintain current dictating methods. They also get back additional time in their day that can be spent on patient care. Future plans will permit physicians to dictate directly to their PDA devices. This will be offered as a solution in conjunction with the CAREvision suite. Today, most physicians are inundated with paper filled patient charts. HealthScribe's ability to digitally deliver high quality reports to CAREvision, will ultimately help physicians manage workflow and information.

"Seeing and caring for patients is a physician's top priority, and automating office management and operations is key to the entire process," said Scott Decker, CEO of HEALTHvision. "Integrating HealthScribe with CAREvision enables us to increase our service delivery with state-of-the-art Internet-ready capabilities."

Once dictated voice files are uploaded through a secure connection to HealthScribe, HealthScribe's network of experienced medical transcriptionists transcribe the reports with numerous quality control checks taking place throughout the process. HealthScribe conforms to all HIPAA (electronic Transfer and Security) regulations. Promised turn-around times range from 2 to 24 hours, which enables the physician's staff to encode documents and expedite the billing process.

"Our relationship with HEALTHvision will provide physicians an integrated information management tool for accessing their transcribed reports on-line for reviewing and signature," added Mike King, president and CEO of HealthScribe. "This unique process will help streamline physician workflow, reduce overhead costs, and provide more time for patient care."