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ECLIPSYS UNVEILS ADVANCED HEALTHCARE INFORMATION SOLUTIONS

Eclipsys Corporation, The Outcomes Company, announced the next-generation of advanced healthcare information technology solutions -- solutions architected to fully harness the power of the Internet to deliver knowledge to healthcare decision-makers wherever, whenever and however needed to provide the highest-quality, most cost-effective care available.

The latest version of the proven functionality of Eclipsys' Sunrise product suite is called SunriseXA, with the first components of the new Web-based product line slated to be available in early 2002. Eclipsys Chairman and CEO Harvey J. Wilson made the SunriseXA announcement this morning to over 1,000 attendees of the 2001 Eclipsys User Network (EUN) Annual Conference in Orlando, FL.

"SunriseXA is a Web-based solution that continues to build upon the knowledge-driven, workflow-enhancing components of Sunrise ... expanding on those components and delivering them in a revolutionary new way," Wilson stated. "Most systems on the market now -- and for some time to come -- are, at best, Web-enabled. That doesn't effectively utilize the Web as the most-advanced and effective method of distributed computing. Eclipsys is far ahead of the pack in using the Internet as not only a delivery mechanism, but as a programming vehicle."

Wilson noted that SunriseXA accelerates the company's computerized patient-record (CPR) solution from what is generally considered a third-generation CPR (called a "helper" by the GartnerGroup, a leading industry think-tank) to a fourth-generation "colleague," where the solution provides virtually peer-level support to physicians and other members of the healthcare team through advanced access to knowledge, including multi-factorial clinical and administrative rules and alerting. The fifth and final CPR level is considered the mentor stage, where complex, sophisticated systems will use evidence-based medicine to help guide physicians through the increasing wealth of information available to them to ensure that the best-possible outcome is achieved.

"SunriseXA moves us solidly into the fourth-generation arena," Wilson stated, "enabling us to deliver knowledge to the right person at the right time and place, in the right format, on the right devices (computers, pagers, cell phones, PDAs, etc.), enabling the right decision to be made."

Microsoft .NET Early Adopter

At the heart of SunriseXA's extended architecture is Microsoft Corporation's Web-based infrastructure, .NET. "We are privileged to have been selected by Microsoft as one of only 20 companies in the first tier of its .NET Early-Adopter Program," Wilson said. "This strategic relationship with Microsoft is enabling us to bring SunriseXA to market more quickly. Further, we've been able to provide what we think is valuable insight to Microsoft into the stringent scalability and reliability needs of the mission-critical healthcare information technology environment."

Wilson said that Microsoft was chosen as the foundation for Eclipsys' architecture for a number of reasons, including tight alignment of both companies' vision and their commitment to the Web as the premier computing environment. He noted that studies have shown that high-volume users of Microsoft's Web technologies -- such as NASDAQ, Ticketmaster and many others -- are enjoying up to 99.999% reliability (translating to downtime of 5 minutes to less than an hour per year), with hundreds of thousands of concurrent users and millions of "hits" per day. "This is the kind of scalability and reliability so essential in the healthcare environment."

In addition, a number of industry analysts such as the GartnerGroup, the Meta Group and others have all placed .NET and Microsoft's vision and ability to execute solidly ahead of all other delivery platforms and companies in this market space, the Eclipsys chairman/CEO noted. "To paraphrase hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, our commitment to the Web and .NET shows we've been skating not to where the puck is, but where it's going to be," Wilson said. "We're very proud that, through our strong relationship with Microsoft and our commitment to .NET as a transforming technology, Eclipsys is in this industry-leading position."

Wilson noted that its partnership with Microsoft and other leading technology providers, plus the adoption of open set standards, enables Eclipsys to deliver advanced, Web-based healthcare applications without having to develop middleware applications. "That's best left to our strategic technology partners, who are industry leaders in their respective fields. This way, we have an open, infinitely scalable, flexible, modular foundation on which to do what we do best ... provide healthcare-focused content and workflow."

A La Carte: Add Solutions As Needs Dictate

SunriseXA products are designed to meet a healthcare organization's need for solutions that support the care process, patient flow, revenue and administration, and customer relationship management (CRM). "We have exceptional, proven solutions in each of these areas. Now, with the next-generation SunriseXA and the ability of .NET to provide software as a service, with intrinsic integration, we are taking them to the next level. And components can be easily added a la carte as needs and resources dictate, or all at once to form an enterprise solution."

Wilson noted that "We have always focused on the needs of what we call the 'front-office' knowledge worker ... the physicians, nurses and other members of the healthcare team who drive the entire care-delivery process. Most hospitals and healthcare organizations have long since successfully automated their 'back office' -- the Laboratory, Pharmacy and other departments. These systems have been operational for some time and, while they've had a positive impact on reducing errors, they haven't done nearly enough. Studies have shown that 90% of medical errors are made on the front end, because these busy professionals have a wealth of information to deal with and haven't been empowered with the same kind of knowledge-driven tools that pharmacies and other departments have had available for their use."

But existing departmental systems still have a major role to play in achieving a comprehensive computer-based patient record (CPR), he said. "We simply don't believe that most customers want, can afford to or need to replace all of these functioning systems in order to achieve an integrated information system. These are essential feeder systems that -- coupled with the right front-office solution that can 'talk' to them through the intrinsic systems-integration nature of true Web-based applications -- combine to form a cost-effective, enterprise-wide, integrated solution that can be implemented more quickly, with less cost, and achieve dramatic return on investment and other benefits much more rapidly. This modular vs. monolithic approach to achieving a fully functioning CPR is supported by the highly respected CPRI-HOST in their literature."

Available Today, Built For Tomorrow

Concluding, Wilson stated that "SunriseXA is the answer that's available today, built to continuously adapt to tomorrow's challenges and changes. Like the impact that Windows and later the Web browser have had on our lives, we predict that advanced solutions such as SunriseXA will truly revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered. It will dramatically help reduce errors and save lives, improve cost efficiency, deal more effectively with shortages of nurses and other knowledge workers, enhance customer satisfaction and, in general, improve the quality of life we all enjoy. That is the promise of information technology which has yet to be fulfilled ... until now ... and the reason why Eclipsys was formed."

About Eclipsys

With a mission of "better healthcare through knowledge," Eclipsys Corporation delivers advanced, knowledge-driven information solutions used by more than 1,450 healthcare organizations worldwide to balance and improve clinical, financial and customer-satisfaction outcomes. Sunrise, Eclipsys' clinically focused enterprise solution set, is built on a single, open, component-based Web architecture based on Microsoft .NET. Products are complemented by Web-based enterprise application integration, ASP delivery options, full IT outsourcing, wireless access smart devices and network solutions, and business-transformation services to provide comprehensive, enterprise-wide solutions. For more information, see www.eclipsys.com or email info@eclipsys.com.