Dynamics Research Corporation to Provide Teamwork Training to VHA Inc. Member Hospitals; MedTeams Provides Systematic Teamwork Approach to Improve Patient Safety

Business Wire, Feb 12, 2002

Business Editors

ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 2002

Dynamics Research Corporation (Nasdaq: DRCO) today announced it has entered into an agreement with Irving, Texas-based VHA Inc., a nationwide network of 2,200 leading community-owned health care organizations and their physicians, to provide its member organizations with teamwork training to improve patient safety and reduce medical errors in critical care areas of the hospital. Under the terms of the agreement, DRC's proprietary program known as MedTeams will be an integral part of the patient safety initiatives offered by VHA to its member hospitals.

Adapted from a program DRC behavioral scientists originally created to improve mission effectiveness and reduce accident rates among Army combat helicopter crews, MedTeams offers a systematic approach to establishing team coordination in stressful situations that require rapid, high-stakes decision making. Approximately nine military and civilian hospitals have evaluated MedTeams and experienced a significant reduction in observable emergency department medical errors as a result of the program. The MedTeams training program focuses on emergency department performance safety and human error management by either confining the errors as they occur so they don't flow through the system to impact patients or by mitigating the consequences of actual errors.

"This systematic approach to teamwork is gaining professional recognition as an important tool for reducing medical errors by stopping them as they occur or mitigating the consequences of actual errors," said Lawrence O'Brien, vice president and general manager, DRC systems engineering group. He cited the July 2001 publication of Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which recommends interdisciplinary programs that incorporate team training for clinicians working in technically complex and high-risk areas such as emergency departments. "MedTeams is the first nationally distributed program that exemplifies this systematic teamwork concept," O'Brien said.

"VHA believes team training is a critical component of building reliable, high quality healthcare systems," said Dr. Nancy Wilson, vice president, VHA Inc., clinical affairs. "We are pleased to take the lead and integrate the proven, evidence-based approaches of the MedTeams researchers into our safety and quality improvement portfolio of offerings."

About VHA

Built on the premise there is strength in numbers, VHA comprises nearly 26 percent of the nation's community hospitals, including many of the nations largest and most respected institutions. VHA offers member organizations access to products and services that will help them improve financial and clinical performance and achieve market success. As a cooperative, VHA distributes income annually to members based on their participation. In January 2002, for the third year in a row, VHA was named one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" by Fortune. For more information on VHA, go to www.vha.com.

About DRC

Dynamics Research Corporation is an innovative solutions provider that partners with its customers in government and commercial sectors to apply proven process and technologies. DRC delivers engineering, logistics, and information technology services and precision manufactured products that enhance the performance and cost effectiveness of its customers' mission-critical systems.

Safe harbor statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Some statements contained or implied in this news release which are not historical fact such as financial forecasts contain forward-looking information. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements, including uncertainties regarding contractual requirements, actions by customers and actual costs to complete; federal budget matters; government contracting risks, competitive market conditions; customer requirements, schedules and related funding; technological change; uncertainty of future financing; overall economic factors; ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions and other matters discussed in the company's filings with the SEC. These factors are discussed in more detail in the company's most recent filings with the SEC. The company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information.