PHAMIS Inc. Introduces Home Healthcare Product to Marketplace
SEATTLE — February 9, 1996 — PHAMIS Inc. (NASDAQ: PHAM), Seattle-based developer of the LASTWORD(R) healthcare information system, announced today that the company has signed a distribution agreement with Point-of-Care Systems Inc., a provider of mobile computing solutions in home healthcare, located in San Diego, California.
The agreement will allow PHAMIS Inc. to distribute the company's Pegasus(TM) product throughout its direct sales network immediately as a stand-alone solution, and in the future to be integrated with the PHAMIS-LASTWORD system.
In addition to the distribution agreement, PHAMIS Inc. announced that the company has purchased a minority equity position in Point-of-Care Systems.
President and CEO of PHAMIS Inc., Frank T. Sample, stated, "We are very enthusiastic about this product and the rapidly expanding market opportunities it represents. Our partnership with Point-of-Care Systems will enable a seamless flow of information from the home throughout the healthcare enterprise thereby supporting the creation of a complete electronic medical record. In addition, our equity position in Point-of-Care Systems will enable us to play a role in the future success of the company."
According to Sample, the company purchased an equity position in Point-of-Care Systems in order to participate in a high-growth segment of the healthcare marketplace like home healthcare without diverting research and development resources from the company's core product line.
PHAMIS Inc. selected Point-of-Care Systems because the company offers one of the most exciting computing solutions to meet the clinical needs of the home healthcare provider.
Michael D. Salazar, CEO of Point-of-Care Systems stated, "The Pegasus product significantly improves the speed and accuracy of clinical data collection and will prove to be successful in the home health agency environment. As integrated delivery systems continue to focus on home healthcare to support the continuum of care we believe our partnership with PHAMIS Inc. will enable us to successfully deliver our technology into that marketplace as well."
Pegasus uses mobile electronic "pen" charting to improve the speed and accuracy of clinical data collection. Because of Pegasus' modular design, home health agencies can gradually embrace its components to make their operations more efficient. Modules include automated forms processing, mobile computing, computerized medical records, data communications, clinical charting, and case management. The Pegasus home-healthcare server software runs on Windows NT and the Pegasus client software runs on the Apple Newton MessagePad(TM) and compatible devices.
The PHAMIS-LASTWORD healthcare information system is an integrated hardware and software solution that constructs an on-line lifetime medical record that is simultaneously accessible throughout the healthcare delivery enterprise.
The system consists of more than 40 modular applications that collect, store, and organize patient-centered information as a single relational database that is used to support enterprise-wide decision making in patient care, finance, and administration.
CONTACT:
Cheryl Isen, 206/689-1306