Initiate Systems Selected as Enterprise Master Person Index —EMPI— Provider for Banner Health

Business Wire, May 4, 2004

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2004

Leading healthcare provider looks to award-winning EMPI software

to reduce risk and improve patient data

Initiate Systems, Inc., a leading provider of Enterprise Master Person Index (EMPI) software and services for managing patient and provider identities, today announced that Phoenix-based Banner Health, one of the largest, nonprofit healthcare systems in the United States, selected Initiate Identity Hub(TM) software and Initiate(SM) Data Quality Remediation Services.

To improve the accuracy of patient data, Banner Health will implement Initiate Identity Hub(TM)software to identify and link data from its disparate systems, enabling its clinical data repository to store patient information from multiple systems under one unique identifier. Initiate Identity Hub(TM) software will integrate with Banner Health's current systems including McKesson Healthquest and Siemens MedSeries4(R). By providing registrars with better tools to successfully identify the patient at the point of registration, Banner will dramatically reduce the number of duplicate records created at time of registration and eliminate those created during the back-office audit process. This will significantly save time and effort that can be applied to improving patient care.

Banner Health will also use Initiate's Data Quality Remediation Services to enhance the accuracy of data in its electronic files. By identifying and fixing duplicate, fragmented and out-of-sync records, and by correcting multiple identifiers so that a single unique identifier remains, Banner Health can better assure quality data throughout all of its facilities.

"Our mission is to make a difference in people's lives through excellent patient care," said Glenn Edwards, System Director of Business Applications at Banner Health. "Initiate Systems presented us with the software necessary to improve the integrity of our patient data across multiple systems. By eliminating duplicate and erroneous patient records we are able to increase patient safety by insuring a longitudinal patient record in our clinical system."

After a comprehensive software evaluation process, Banner Health chose Initiate to solve its patient identifier problems. Banner Health will utilize Initiate's software at the point of registration across its system of 19 hospitals in eight Western and Midwestern states.

"By combining Initiate(SM) Data Quality Remediation Services and Initiate Identity Hub(TM) software, Banner Health is proactively ensuring the highest quality of patient data across its vast system of hospitals and care centers," said Lorraine Fernandes, senior vice president of Initiate's Healthcare Practice. "Initiate's approach enables leading healthcare providers to improve processes and achieve significant time and cost savings as well as deliver superior patient care - which is what Banner is known for."

About Banner Health System

Based in Phoenix, Banner Health (www.bannerhealth.com) is one of the largest, nonprofit healthcare systems in the country with 19 hospitals, six long term care centers and an array of other services, including family clinics, home care services and home medical equipment services, in eight Western and Midwestern states. Those states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming.

Banner employs about 22,000 employees. The company's Arizona region alone employs 15,000 people making it the second largest employer in the state of Arizona.

About Initiate Systems, Inc.

Initiate Systems, Inc. (www.initiatesystems.com) is a leading provider of Enterprise Master Person Index (EMPI) software and services for managing patient and provider identities. Initiate provides the most accurate, complete, up-to-the-moment information to all point-of-service applications, business intelligence platforms and back office systems. Initiate's award-winning Initiate Identity Hub(TM) software delivers high business value in many industries, including communications, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, retail and the public sector, by instantly finding and accurately linking all the records about a person, corporate entity or object across disparate data sources on-demand, regardless of data volume.

Initiate, the Initiate logo, and Initiate Identity Hub are trademarks and/or service marks owned by Initiate Systems, Inc., which may be registered in certain jurisdictions.