Per-Se Technologies Announces Voice Recognition Agreement With IBM

Business Wire, July 27, 1998

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 27, 1998--

Per-Se Technologies integrates IBM technology to

offer healthcare providers state-of-the-art continuous speech recognition capability

Per-Se Technologies, a leading provider of software and technology services for healthcare, announced today an agreement with IBM that will allow Per-Se to integrate IBM's MedSpeak(TM) voice recognition technology within its ProgRIS(TM) radiology information system.

IBM's MedSpeak product is a continuous speech recognition solution that can be utilized in healthcare settings to allow physicians, particularly radiologists and pathologists, to create their own diagnostic test reports easily and almost instantaneously - simply by speaking aloud.

"ProgRIS has always had an interface with the MedSpeak product; now, we've embedded it. This agreement is evidence of Per-Se's strong relationship with IBM," said Joanne Voorhees, vice president of product management at Per-Se.

MedSpeak includes an extension to its stand-alone speech recognition application that allows other Windows NT/95 desktop applications to embed the fundamental technology contained in MedSpeak.

"By integrating ActiveX controls directly into ProgRIS, we can provide a seamless workflow of voice recognition capabilities," said Voorhees.

"Through its agreement with IBM, Per-Se has integrated IBM's continuous voice recognition technology directly into ProgRIS. Now, ProgRIS users will have the capability to use voice documentation within their radiology application. Through the integration of MedSpeak technology, Per-Se has enhanced the solution they offer to their clients," said Katherine Hanniford, IBM MedSpeak Solutions Manager.

About ProgRIS

Per-Se is an established leader in Radiology Information Systems with more than 2,000 ProgRIS users nationwide. ProgRIS supports patient scheduling, order management, patient tracking, image management, diagnostic reporting and coding, inventory control, and mammography reporting.

ProgRIS is highly scalable and runs on the customer's choice of a Windows 95 or Windows NT client with NT or UNIX servers and an SQL-compliant relational database. The thin-client, three-tiered architecture improves remote access, distributes the processing load for improved performance and reduces telecommunication costs. -0-

ProgRIS offers the following benefits and advances:

    - Web-enabled report browser gives referring physicians access
      to reports from anywhere, at any time, without installing
      or maintaining special software.

    - Three-tiered client/server architecture vastly improves remote
      access for physicians, transcriptionists and other remote staff.

    - Simultaneous viewing of key images and report text provides
      easy access to comparison data and facilitates report review.

    - Two-way communication between ProgRIS and PACS systems
      supports tracking of complete image histories - both digital
      and hard copy.

    - Voice recognition integration, electronic signature and
      automatic report routing features save radiologists valuable
      time and resources.

    - Enhanced security system allows users to control access to
      information.

    - Advanced, automatic scheduling optimizes the use of resources
      and eliminates scheduling conflicts.

About IBM

IBM's MedSpeak technology allows for highly accurate speech recognition solutions, enabling clinicians to create their own diagnostic reports - quickly, easily and almost instantaneously - simply by speaking aloud. IBM MedSpeak is a result of more than twenty-five years of research, providing average accuracy rates of over 95 percent for most North American native English speakers.

About Per-Se Technologies

Per-Se Technologies provides Delivery Chain Management solutions that help healthcare organizations meet the individual needs of their customers. Per-Se solutions include packaged software applications, component frameworks solutions and IT consulting services. Per-Se Technologies is a unit of Medaphis Corporation (NASDAQ:MEDA). It was formed in 1997 by combining the operations of Medaphis subsidiaries Atwork, Consort and HDS.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Further information on Per-Se Technologies is available on the World Wide Web at www.Per-Se.com.

Per-Se is a trademark of Medaphis Healthcare Information Technology Company. ProgRIS is a trademark of Consort Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner.

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