Surgical Information Systems Systems Designated AQI Preferred Vendor

ATLANTA, May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgical Information Systems ("SIS"), a leader in perioperative information systems, announced today that they have been designated as a preferred vendor by the Anesthesia Quality Institute (AQI). SIS is the first Anesthesia Information Management Systems (AIMS) provider to achieve preferred vendor designation.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080722/SISLOGO )

"The preferred vendor designation further demonstrates our commitment to advancing anesthesia applications. The ability to send valuable data from SIS Anesthesia to the AQI enables our clients to lead the industry in improving anesthesia delivery," said Ed Daihl, CEO of SIS. "We see this designation as an important step forward for our clients, AQI, and SIS as initiatives such as these continue to improve the industry for patients and practitioners alike."

The AQI was created by the American Society of Anesthesiologists to be the primary source for quality management in the anesthesiology profession through the creation of the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR). AQI collects and aggregates electronic data from anesthesia practices and benchmarks it, helping survey participants better understand and assess their clinical outcomes and business processes. Currently, the AQI is gathering data on 400 facilities and 2600 providers throughout the United States.

Clients using SIS Anesthesia can provide the following types of information to the AQI:

• Facility and provider information and demographics
• Case specific data such as patient demographics
• Outcomes data
• Risk adjustment data such as ICD codes

"The data provided from the participating hospitals to our registry is the centerpiece of this quality improvement effort," said Richard P. Dutton, MD, MBA, Executive Director, AQI. "The support we receive from SIS will open new doors for anesthesia providers to deliver data to us in an easier and more efficient way. SIS Anesthesia clients will receive feedback and data through the AQI that will yield invaluable benefits to their hospitals and practices. Their participation in submitting their data will greatly enhance the quality of the benchmarking and we look forward to working with SIS and SIS Anesthesia clients to continue to increase participation in this important registry."

O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, CA, a member of the Daughters of Charity Health System, is currently using SIS Anesthesia to capture and send anesthesia information to the AQI. "We believe in the value that AQI participation can bring to our practice of anesthesia, and we felt strongly that we should be in the forefront of this initiative. Collaborating with AQI and SIS, our group will be able to use the data for departmental quality improvements as well as personal benchmarking and performance improvements," said Christine Doyle, MD, President of Coast Anesthesia Medical Group.

About AQI

The Anesthesia Quality Institute's mission is to develop and maintain an ongoing registry of anesthesia cases and outcomes to help anesthesiologists assess and improve patient care. The goal of AQI is to include data from all practicing anesthesiologists and all practice locations in the United States.

The AQI ultimately exists to improve patient care. Collecting and analyzing data from anesthesiology and pain practices across the country will provide the data needed to understand best practices, and will create a network for dissemination. In the end, the AQI will save lives and improve the quality of care.

About SIS

Surgical Information Systems ("SIS") provides software solutions that are uniquely designed to add value at every point of the perioperative process. Developed specifically for the complex surgical environment, all SIS solutions including anesthesia are architected on a single database and integrate easily with other hospital systems. SIS offers the only surgical scheduling system endorsed by the American Hospital Association (AHA), and a rules-based charging system that has been granted Peer Reviewed status by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).'

Surgical Information Systems' 5.0.3 release is an ONC-ATCB Modular EHR. This EHR Module is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by an ONC-ATCB in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.

Surgical Information Systems' 5.0.3 release certified on November 19, 2010, Certification ID 11192010-6161-8.

SIS, the SIS logo, and Surgical Information Systems are trademarks of Surgical Information Systems, LLC. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information visit our website, www.SISFirst.com.

SOURCE Surgical Information Systems