Decision Critical, Inc. and the American Nurses Credentialing Center Announce Strategic Business Relationship; Relationship to Jointly Market Critical Portfolio™

Business Wire, Feb 21, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas -- Decision Critical, Inc. (DCI), a leader in the health care education compliance and competency management industry, announced today that it has formed a strategic business relationship with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to jointly market DCI's web-based professional portfolio management application, Critical Portfolio(TM). Currently 44,000 future nurses, members of the National Student Nurses Association, are using the application to manage their professional portfolios and career development. ANCC has lent its valuable brand to this product in an effort to bring its benefits to the over 2.9 million professional nurses in the United States. ANCC will be utilizing the Critical Portfolio as their platform for online portfolio services.

"ANCC has the potential to reach out to over 850,000 nursing professionals and faculty across the United States. This partnership creates a tremendous opportunity to advance the mission of ANCC by providing tangible documentation of professional achievement throughout one's nursing career; it will also provide a foundation for future specialty nursing recognition," Kenneth Dion, R.N., Founder & CEO, Decision Critical, Inc., commented. "We are extremely pleased to partner with ANCC in this endeavor and are proud to be associated with the largest and most prestigious nursing credentialing organization in the United States. ANCC's relationships in health care beyond nursing will help bring this valuable professional development tool to all of the disciplines in the health care industry."

Mr. Dion went on to explain that ANCC is the premier body for nursing credentialing services, including nurse certification, accreditation and provision of nursing CE programs, the Magnet Recognition Program for Nursing Excellence and nursing credentialing research. In order for today's health care organizations to attain and keep Magnet Status they are required to maintain professional data for all nursing staff; many organizations have already found the online portfolio to be the ideal solution for these requirements. But, surprisingly, even in today's technology-savvy world, most health care organizations are still maintaining paper-based portfolio records.

The Critical Portfolio presents an electronic solution to the current paper process by providing health care professionals and organizations alike with a single, automated and organized repository of professional development and supporting documentation. The Critical Portfolio allows users to access, maintain, report on, and distribute customized portfolios that can include selected elements in the repository such as work history, education, committees, memberships, case logs and certifications, skills and training based on the information the owner wishes to send to the target recipient of that portfolio.

According to Jeanne Floyd, PhD, RN, CAE, ANCC Executive Director, "Nurses need to track more professional development information today than ever before. The online portfolio provides an ideal solution to parallel increases in nurse mobility and demands by employers for a wide variety of professional documentation."

About Decision Critical, Inc. (Decision Critical) - www.decisioncritical.com

Austin, Texas-based Decision Critical specializes in providing a web-enabled learning management system to health care organizations. Customers, who have implemented Decision Critical's technology to deliver, track and maintain current records on the continuing education of their health care professionals includes The Texas Children's Hospital System, MedCath, Inc., and Huntington Memorial Hospital. Decision Critical's systems serve over 150,000 users in over 250 health care organizations.

About American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) - www.nursecredentialing.org

ANCC is the nation's leading nursing credentialing organization, offering general and advanced practice certification in over 35 specialty areas. ANCC certifications are highly regarded across the nation by federal, state and local agencies. In addition, ANCC offers continuing nursing education contact hours and review course materials through its Institute for Credentialing Innovation, accredits organizations that offer or approve continuing education courses for registered nurses, and promotes excellence in nursing services through its Magnet Recognition Program(R). Each ANCC program is offered on an international platform through the ANCC Credentialing International program. ANCC is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA).