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Preferred Management Corp. Installs OpusClinicalSuite(R) at 2 Texas Hospitals

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080325/LATU040LOGO)

The OpusClinicalSuite(R), an advanced clinical information system from Opus Healthcare Solutions,Austin, TX, will be provided on an ASP (Application Service Provider) basis. This will enable the two rural hospitals to obtain the latest clinical information system without a major upfront cost in new hardware and support staff.

Overall funding for the implementation of the new technology came through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' FLEX-CAH HIT (critical access hospital health information technology) grant program, which has made 16 separate grants of $1.6 million each in different states. InTexas, the federal CAH HIT grant program is administered by the Office of Rural Community Affairs' (ORCA) State Office of Rural Health, a state agency which oversees programs to increase rural communities' access to quality healthcare.

Theresa Cruz, Texas State Office of Rural Health Director, noted "We believe that the critical access hospitals participating in the Technology Grant Program will benefit greatly from the OpusClinicalSuite(R) information system. The neediest rural areas of our state often do not have access to quality products such as this, due to limited resources. We look forward to the possibility of collaborating with Opus in the future."

Dave Darnell, Senior Program Administrator, State Office of Rural Health, added "Information technology can play an important role in improving health care quality at rural hospitals. We will be monitoring the results of the project for lessons learned and will look to incorporate them in future initiatives."

The Texas A&M Health Science Center Rural and Community Health Institute (RCHI) was chosen by the Texas State Office of Rural Health, ORCA to manage the overall process, including vendor selection, administration of funds, general oversight of the project plan, and reporting back to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to Kathy Mechler, Co-Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Institute, "We are pleased to have Opus Healthcare Solutions join our team on this collaborative effort."

The Rural and Community Health Institute, founded by the Texas A&M Health Science Center in 2003, partners with rural and community health facilities, clinics, and physicians to provide educational programs and improve quality and patient safety. The institute targets healthcare delivery services, establishes database management and analysis, and conducts policy research that may be difficult for small facilities to accomplish alone.

The OpusClinicalSuite(R) provides a single point-of-access for clinicians to retrieve all patient clinical information (patient vitals, lab results, medications, imaging results), from the bedside or remote locations such as their office or distant clinics. The suite enables hospitals to meet patient safety issues and implement quality measures for improved patient outcomes.

Fred Beck, President of Opus Healthcare Solutions, said that "Many rural hospitals find it difficult to attract and retain skilled IT professionals. When we provide our software on an ASP basis, we assume responsibility for installing and updating it, easing the work load on existing staff."

About Opus Healthcare Solutions, Inc.

Based inAustin, Opus Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (http://www.opushealthcare.com/) delivers highly adaptable Web-based clinical applications to hospital systems and integrated health networks. The 2nd generation technology of the OpusClinicalSuite(R) includes clinical documentation, order management, medication administration checking and charting, a clinical data repository, a patient dashboard, physician Web access, and laboratory data management inclusive of microbiology and anatomic pathology. The system is built on a secure Web architecture, and capable of sharing clinical data through an integrated HL7/XML interface engine.

More than 10,000 clinicians at acute care hospitals across the U.S. now use software solutions provided by Opus Healthcare Solutions.

     For more information:
     Chris Mountzouris
     Vice President, Marketing & Business Development
     O: 512-336-7200
     cmountzouris@opushealthcare.com

     James Harris
     Westside Public Relations
     Cell: 310-780-7107
     O: 310-398-5565
     jharris@westsidepr.com

SOURCE Opus Healthcare Solutions, Inc.