Electronic Patient Record Standard Arrives

LIVE DEMONSTRATION OF SEQUOIA'S XML FOR HEALTHCARE
TO EXPLODE TIME-TO-MARKET, INTEROPERABILITY BARRIERS

COLUMBIA, Md., ¾ April 27, 1998 ¾ On May 12, 1998, the health care industry will witness a live, purportedly unprecedented demonstration of the XML standard for virtual electronic patient data interchange at the Medical Records Institute's TEPR '98 conference. Sequoia Software Corporation, of Columbia, Md., in partnership with Azron, will demonstrate for the first time AZRON EMR using Sequoia Interchange98, healthcare's first XML server. The Azron point-of-care system provides healthcare practitioners with electronic access to all patient and clinical information previously held in paper charts and isolated systems and applications. Sequoia's Interchange98 provides the new back office technology platform. The companies will demonstrate the technology product package at the Medical Records Institute's TEPR '98 in San Antonio, Texas on May 12-15 at booth # 539.

The Azron/Sequoia product demonstration at the TEPR meeting follows less than 30 days after the two companies announced their agreement to embed Sequoia's XML server into AZRON EMR.

"There is absolutely no comparison to the Sequoia XML server. I am jumping-up-and-down excited," said Jae Evans, president and chief technology officer of Azron. "The Sequoia XML software development kit (SDK), which provides objects and methods for XML, made the initial programming effort extremely easy and straight forward. We had an entire patient summary record developed in two to three hours and an XML foundation developed across our entire product suite in a matter of days" added Evans.

Using Sequoia Interchange98, the demonstration will integrate charts, templates, reports, and other patient data interchangeably from a variety of client applications among which includes Datex-Engstroms' anesthesia monitoring system; radiology reports originally dictated into Lernout & Hauspie's Kurzweil Clinical Reporter; and a practice management system from Infosys. The portable AZRON EMR enables clinicians to record and retrieve vital patient information held in a virtual repository supported by the Sequoia back office technology foundation. AZRON EMR automates manual processes allowing healthcare providers to capture and manipulate patient data more quickly and intuitively, and enabling providers to streamline administrative processes. This information will be accessed using Azron's hand-held, wireless, pen-based, mobile computing technology.

"Sequoia has a strong product," stated Kevin Roberts, Azron chairman and chief executive officer. "Their Web-based XML technology really works and has given us an immediate play in the XML market. Our relationship with Sequoia has enhanced Azron"s position in forming key strategic relationships."

Sequoia's vice president of sales, Joe Kessel said, "The timeframe and ease in which Sequoia and Azron have been able to achieve a functionally live demonstration speaks to the non-proprietary, open standards nature of our product. Where best attempts so far with interface engines have linked proprietary applications point-to-point, our XML server has delivered true interoperability between independent systems and applications. Our XML technology foundation is scalable enough to support our project for the U.S. Commerce Department to create a Master Patient Index (MPI) across a national backbone."

According to C. Peter Waegemann, executive director of the Medical Records Institute, "The TEPR conference is the most comprehensive discussion in the healthcare industry on where we are on the electronic medical record (EMR) implementation, standards, hurdles, legal issues, and technology developments. The Sequoia/Azron demonstration is a major milestone on the road toward implementation of the electronic medical record with the people who want to make a difference in the healthcare industry."

The first XML server for healthcare, Sequoia Interchange 98, provides all the media, security, and database management required to efficiently use this information in a massively distributed environment over diverse and often disparate technology platforms. The Web-based mechanism connects islands of medical information created by "best-of-breed" applications, manages the universal language describing healthcare data and virtually eliminates the need for expensive custom interface engines and systems integration.

Azron Incorporated of Carlsbad, Calif., develops and markets Azron EMR, a flexible electronic medical records system that can be accessed using wireless pen-based mobile computing technology. Azron's products provide particular value to clinicians because of their intuitive design, short learning curve, point-of-care mobility, and ease-of-use. Azron EMR has been in active clinical use by over 250 physicians, nurses, and physician assistants since 1995, and is managing the records of over 100,000 patients in a wide range of clinical environments. Additional information about Azron incorporated and the Azron EMR can be obtained on the company's website at http://www.azron.com/.

In 1997, Sequoia was selected by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop a national Master Patient Index using XML technology. Additional information about Sequoia Software Corporation and Interchange98, healthcare's first XML server, can be obtained from white papers, fact sheets and backgrounder through Sequoia's website at http://www.sequoiasw.com.

The Medical Records Institute, host of the TEPR '98 (Toward an Electronic Patient Record) conference and headquartered in Newton, Mass., has as its primary mission to promote the development and acceptance of electronic health record systems during this evolution. The MRI is pursuing this mission on a national and international basis. The Medical Records Institute believes that electronic health records (EHR) will be the nucleus of the emerging healthcare information infrastructure. This infrastructure promises to dramatically improve control on healthcare costs, enhance healthcare quality, and facilitate data security. The TEPR '98 conference has 490 speakers and over 4,000 solution seekers and technology implementers participating in the May 1998 event. Additional information regarding the Medical Records Institute and the TEPR '98 conference may be obtained on the organization's website at http://www.medrecinst.com/.

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