July 18, 2005

Holy Cross Hospital Implements VisionTree Healthcare to Help Patients Make Informed Treatment Decisions

Software assists with patient education, shared decision-making, informed consent and improved patient satisfaction

SAN DIEGO — July 18, 2005 — VisionTree Software (www.visiontree.com), makers of relevant decision support systems for individuals and organizations, today announced the successful pilot implementation of the VisionTree Healthcare software platform at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The Holy Cross Women’s Cancer Center began implementing the VisionTree Healthcare Edition to help educate patients about treatment options, assist in evidence-based shared decision-making, informed consent and improve overall patient satisfaction.

“VisionTree Healthcare helps our medical staff engage patients in an interactive dialogue about their condition and their treatment options, then developing an informed consent based on their clinical information, personal preferences and lifestyle priorities,” said Albert Steren, M.D., Medical Director of Gynecologic Oncology. “The software is very easy to use, empowers both our patients and our staff, and improves the efficiency, effectiveness and documentation of the entire consult process.”

VisionTree Healthcare is a system used by hospitals across the country for initial patient assessment, shared decision making, informed consent, treatment pathway follow-up, trackable patient satisfaction surveys and aggregate reports that can be linked with outcomes data. Loaded with evidence-based treatment option information across multiple specialties, the VisionTree Healthcare platform is designed to deliver best practices for both patient and provider and has proven to deliver a high rate of patient confidence, satisfaction, understanding and improved post-treatment well being. These results were presented at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Conference in April 2005.

“VisionTree Healthcare provides us with an important new resource for shared decision making between the patient and physician, guiding our patients with evidence-based treatment options, including the benefits and risks, which allows them to make the very best and most informed treatment decision,” said Donna Appel, R.N., OCN, Nurse Navigator at the Women's Cancer Center.

VisionTree Healthcare has been successfully implemented at sites around the country in the fields of oncology for GYN, breast and prostate cancer, as well as neurosurgery, spine surgery, cardiology and orthopedics. Sites using the VisionTree Healthcare platform include UCLA Medical Center, Saint Luke’s Hospital Kansas City, Vantage Oncology and Baylor College of Medicine.

About Holy Cross Hospital
Holy Cross Hospital is a faith-based, mission-driven community teaching hospital serving the residents of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland. The hospital is a member of Trinity Health of Novi, Michigan, the nation's third largest catholic health care system. For more information, visit www.holycrosshealth.org.

About VisionTree Software
VisionTree Software, developed and manufactured by Idego Methodologies Inc., headquartered in San Diego, CA, produces a line of software-driven decision making and strategic planning solutions. Idego's products help individuals and groups make well-informed decisions and take focused direction with a high level of quality and confidence. Idego's core principle is the integration of a proprietary algorithm with a user-friendly, wizard-driven software platform that can be applied to any type of decision or strategy.

VisionTree’s customer base consists of health care organizations, schools and businesses across the country and has delivered significant and measurable improvement to the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of decision making and strategic planning in all of these areas. For more information, visit www.visiontree.com.

Click here to learn more about VisionTree Healthcare Online.