iMedica Corporation Appears on Caspar Weinberger's World Business Review: Special Medical Edition Television Series

Business Wire, Feb 7, 2000

Business Editors

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2000

Multi-Media Productions (USA), Inc. announces the appearance of Charles Koo, Ph.D., chairman and CEO of iMedica Corporation, on World Business Review:Special Medical Edition. The 13-part special is hosted by Caspar Weinberger, chairman of Forbes magazine and Secretary of Defense during the Reagan administration. Weinberger also hosts World Business Review, a weekly television series that focuses on business and technology. World Business Review:Special Medical Edition explores the latest technologies, techniques, procedures, business strategies, problems and solutions in the field of medicine.

John Garrison, chief executive officer of the American Lung Association, joins the discussion, serving as healthcare expert. The topic of the discussion is &uot;Internet Medical Solutions.&uot;

&uot;iMedica was selected to appear on the program because it is helping doctors have more meaningful consultation with their patients while saving time and reducing paperwork,&uot; said Donald Pratt, the show's coordinating producer.

Many strides have been made in automating the medical practice to improve overall efficiency of physicians and their supporting personnel. Nevertheless, an excessive amount of paperwork is still being used to satisfy insurance and managed care requirements for documentation, not to mention regulatory and public insurance (Medicaid/Medicare) stipulations. Add to this scenario the liability issue, and the need for the huge amounts of time and paperwork becomes clear.

iMedica, based in Mountain View California, has developed a portable solution that combines several technologies -- a pen-based PC, wireless, and the Internet -- to help physicians save time. PhysicianSuite enables doctors to create clinical and financial documentation in a fraction of the time it ordinarily takes, saving five minutes or more per patient. This enables physicians to spend more time with each patient or accommodate additional patients. It also frees them up to pursue other interests.

Using PhysicianSuite, physicians are able to create comprehensive charts, write prescriptions, and create a Superbill, which facilitates compliance with Medicare/HCFA (Health Care Financing Administration) regulations, in a fraction of the time that the existing paper-based process requires. This pen-based solution allows physicians to prepare necessary documentation to satisfy payor requirements as well as good medical practice standards. PhysicianSuite was developed to eliminate the need for handwritten notes, typing or dictation, and to reduce administrative costs. It also creates, files and backs up patient records using a secure Internet connection and vault for subsequent access.

Dr. Koo appears on World Business Review:Special Medical Edition to discuss the different ways PhysicianSuite is able to produce legible and complete documentation for audits by third-party payors. Koo elaborates on the difference between PhysicianSuite and other solutions that purport to address the same problem, but do not offer a complete workflow solution tailored to the way physicians work. He also discusses security, which is paramount among concerns about privacy. Koo's description of the cost established just how minimal this factor would be, saying it would cost &uot;about $5 a day, the cost of a cup of coffee from Starbucks.&uot; Koo added, &uot;We actually did a study and found that we could save about 60 to 90 minutes for a doctor per day, depending on his practice.&uot;

&uot;Beyond that, we actually generate a Medicare-compliant code for them automatically, and on top of that, it does the online prescription,&uot; Koo went on to say. &uot;You can actually pick up the prescription or the fulfillment of prescription anytime, anywhere in any of 30,000 drug stores nationwide, and also it cleans up the formulary and makes drug interaction checks for the doctor at a point of care,&uot; stated Koo.

&uot;Certainly, it's going to help physicians but its also gong to help patients because to the extent that we can free doctors ... from paperwork and have them spend more time working with patients, I think we all come out ahead,&uot; said industry expert, Garrison.

iMedica PhysicianSuite offers additional features, including drug interaction/allergy alerts, formulary reviews, current ICD9CM Diagnostic Codes, and service and support from iMedica. PhysicianSuite also provides tools to help streamline workflow, improve billing accuracy and reduce litigation risks.

iMedica.com, headquartered in Mountain View, CA, is the physician's advocate in the e-healthcare marketplace. iMedica brings leading Internet and intelligent system technologies to the point-of-care environment enabling physicians and medical administrators to simplify medical transactions. For more information on iMedica.com visit www.imedica.com.

World Business Review currently airs on PBS The Business Channel, CNBC as paid programming, and in prime business time slots in numerous Public Television markets, including San Francisco, New York, Denver and Miami. The weekly series can also be viewed on TWA, United Airlines or from any desktop computer via AENTV.