Optika Imaging Systems, Inc. partners with IHS/SoftMed to deliver premier healthcare solution; Optika's high-performance integrated imaging, COLD and workflow software to be combined with SoftMed's industry leading health information management solutions through Innovative Health Systems' nationwide distribution network

Business Wire, May 21, 1997

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BW HealthWire)--May 21, 1997--Optika Imaging Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:OPTK), today announced it signed an agreement with IHS/SoftMed to deliver the most complete health information management solution available.

IHS is the exclusive worldwide distributor of SoftMed systems. By integrating Optika's high-performance imaging technology with SoftMed's industry leading health information management and workflow solutions, hospitals and other healthcare providers will have access to a tightly integrated total solution for their processing needs.

Today's agreement fills a critical need in the electronic medical record market. IHS/SoftMed is recognized as the leader in health information management and workflow solutions, while Optika has the largest installed base of healthcare imaging customers. Through this combination of strengths, both companies gain crucial functionality to address the needs of the changing market.

"We are delighted to be providing the SoftMed clients with a high quality imaging solution, tightly integrated with their SoftMed applications," said Don Segal, President of SoftMed. "After our comprehensive review of the imaging vendors in healthcare, we found Optika to be the clear leader in this technology."

"We are pleased to be able to join forces with such a well-respected industry leader," commented Mark Ruport, Optika's President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. "Optika's imaging solutions are designed to be fully integrated with existing systems while providing the easiest installation and lowest cost of ownership.

"SoftMed's customers will find that the FPhealthcare and the FilePower(R) integrated product suite will add power to their networks that will reduce the amount of paper they use, and save them time and money."

IHS President Don Ratcliff stated, "We believe this agreement will provide the industry with the finest quality health information management workflow and enterprise imaging solution available today. The integrated SoftMed-Optika product will also be a more cost-effective solution for our clients than what is available from other vendors. This agreement demonstrates our commitment to our clients to continually enhance their return on investments made in systems and network platforms."

About IHS/SoftMed

Innovative Health Systems (IHS), based in Sacramento, California is the exclusive, worldwide distributor of the SoftMed Systems products, and a leading healthcare systems distributor in North America. SoftMed, a Maryland-based company, is a developer of a suite of comprehensive health information management system solutions, including Windows(-based applications for chart management, clinical abstracting, quality management, transcription/document management, among others.

IHS/SoftMed is the dominant systems vendor for health information management applications in North America with over 6,000 system modules installed at over 1100 hospital and clinic clients. IHS/SoftMed has a number of key partnership agreements with other industry leading healthcare systems providers that enhance systems integration availability to clients.

About Optika

With headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Optika (www.optika.com) is a global leader in high-performance, client/server integrated imaging systems and development tools. The Company's integrated software suite is comprised of imaging, workflow and COLD products geared towards mission critical applications in information intensive industries such as healthcare, retail, financial and insurance and emphasizes a scaleable architecture for high-volume, production document management systems, installed at the workgroup and the enterprise.

Optika is noted for its technology leadership and its large customer base of imaging systems running on local and wide area networks. With more than 1200 installations, Optika has been recognized by top industry authorities for its leading-edge, proven technology in document imaging, computer report processing and workflow applications, and has been awarded the BIS Strategic Decisions Imaging Excellence and Imaging World Magazine Technology Innovator of the Year awards.

CONTACT: Optika Imaging Systems, Inc.

Mike Cataldo, 617/444-6020

Mcataldo@optika.com

or

Innovative Health Systems, Inc.

Don Ratcliff, 800/695-4447

or

Morgen-Walke Associates

Chris Danne or Todd Friedman, 415/296-7383

David Sasso or Josh Passman, 212/850-5600