Web-based Outcomes Assessment and Quality Measurement Technology Patent

On April 1, 2008, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved the issuance of a pivotal patent that covers several innovative aspects of our industry-leading Outcome System®. The patent, entitled "Apparatus and methods for determining and processing medical outcomes” covers a critical set of innovations related to the collection, analysis, and reporting of clinical outcomes, including physician and hospital performance.

The Outcome System was created specifically for collecting and evaluating real-world outcomes and helping physicians and hospitals measure and improve performance. It is a widely used system that has captured data for hundreds of programs, involving millions of patients, across more than 80 countries. It has been used in a leading number of patient registries and real-world studies as well as in award-winning quality measurement programs for medical associations, hospitals, and physician offices. The Outcome System is a highly scalable, web-based technology enabling state-of-the-art real-time data capture, benchmarking, and reporting, as well as providing hospitals and physicians with real-time access to point-of-care tools that have been demonstrated to improve performance. The Outcome System allows for integration with external databases and systems and is interoperable with a growing number of practice management and electronic health records.

More detailed information regarding the full context and abstract of the patent can be accessed at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website at http://patft.uspto.gov. Search for patent number 7,353,238.