March 30, 2006

VisionTree's Online Portal Teams Patients and Physicians to Improve Quality and Efficiency of Care

VisionTree's portal collects outcomes data and provides patients with relevant treatment information

SAN DIEGO — March 30, 2006 — VisionTree Software (www.visiontree.com) makers of relevant decision support systems, today announced the launch of VisionTree Healthcare Online Version 4.2, a proven and secure patient health management portal to store health records, provide treatment option decision support, deliver email notifications and fill-out assessments for tracking outcomes.

The shift towards consumer-driven healthcare (CDHC) means hospitals are facing increased competition to make their quality and efficiency data publicly available. Include the recent actions in Congress, Medicare projects (MMA 646, P4P), HCAHPS Program and the increased focus on healthcare by President Bush, the healthcare system is seeking scalable solutions. VisionTree delivers an easy and electronic solution accessible by patients and medical teams via the internet to collect, analyze and report quality, satisfaction and efficiency data.

VisionTree Healthcare Online is the first commercially available system that allows patients to fill out their history and assessments online which generates insurance-ready transcriptions and outcomes reports for the medical team. Patients receive email notifications and reminders for follow-ups, prescription refills and pre/post-op instructions, avoiding the need for staff to spend time on phone calls and postcards.

Antonio De Salles, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Head of UCLA Stereotactic Surgery at UCLA Medical Center stated, "There are many systems out there that try to move you to an electronic workflow, but they are invasive to the staff and are not flexible to your individual practice. The VisionTree system is templatized and allows for easy setup and implementation. I am now collecting relevant, actionable data for my practice, increasing the quality of care for my patients and saving my staff time."

The majority of patients log on to VisionTree from their home and according to the patient satisfaction survey, 95% found the system useful, 84% found the system very user-friendly and 98% would like to continue using the system for their long term care. The average age of the users was 61 years old.

Susan Mills, a patient who recently used the VisionTree Healthcare Online for managing her diagnosis of a skull base brain tumor said, "The software is easy to use and most importantly, saved me time by not needing to travel to see different doctors to make a treatment decision. All of the information for my condition was presented to me and I felt more confident about my treatment decision. Using this internet-based portal is a real miracle - I feel connected with my physician through messaging and follow-up email reminders from the medical team, even though I am more than 100 miles away."

Larry Khoo, M.D., Assistant Professor at UCLA Comprehensive Spine Center said "Patients are finding that quality information relevant to their specific condition is not easily accessible via the internet. VisionTree allows me to easily deliver appropriate education material and greatly improve the line of communication with our clinic."

Loaded with evidence-based treatment options, risks and benefits in the specialties of oncology, spine, neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiology and urology, VisionTree delivers best practices for both patient and provider. VisionTree has documented a high rate of patient satisfaction and a 20% improvement in post-treatment well-being compared with the control group. These findings were presented at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Conference in October 2005.

VisionTree Healthcare is in over 30 sites including: UCLA Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Holy Cross Hospital Silver Spring, MD, Let Them Hear Foundation, Vantage Oncology (national oncology group), Saint Luke’s Hospital Kansas City and Carolinas Medical Center.

About VisionTree Software

VisionTree Software's patented line of user-friendly decision support systems helps patients, physicians and healthcare organizations make quality decisions and plans with a high level of efficiency.

VisionTree Healthcare Online automates and tracks patient and physician interaction for improved patient satisfaction, collection of outcomes data and one-step electronic documentation integrating with existing EMR systems.

The VisionTree Healthcare, Conference and Professional platforms are proven to deliver significant and measurable improvement in the documentation, accountability and data collection of decision making, strategic planning and large group interaction. For more information, visit www.visiontree.com.

Click here to learn more about VisionTree Healthcare Online.