ALPHARETTA, Ga., Jan. 4, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Optio(r) Software, Inc. (OTCBB:OPTO) announced today that Alaska Open Imaging Center (AOIC), an independently owned network of diagnostic imaging centers serving Alaska physicians and residents, has selected the Optio QuickRecord(r) and MedEx(tm) Suites to dramatically reduce paperwork in their four facilities and accelerate turnaround times on hundreds of daily radiology reports.
The Optio QuickRecord Suite will integrate with the AOIC picture archiving and communications system (PACS) to electronically capture, store and route radiology orders and scans throughout Alaska, by area the largest state in the United States with 586,432 square miles.
QuickRecord will provide a universal hub and Web-enabled access point for all current and historic patient documents. Once the data is captured in QuickRecord, authorized radiologists can immediately access this composite view of patient information from within any AOIC center, their own practice or any off-site location with Internet access. Results can also be made available to referring physicians through electronic delivery.
"We're excited because Optio technology will allow us to realize our goal of becoming a statewide teleradiology network for all Alaska physicians," said Jeff Kinion, AOIC chief executive officer. "With QuickRecord's automatic inbound and outbound faxing capability, we can dramatically reduce internal and external fax redundancy, and ultimately, serve patients and physicians faster, more accurately and more securely. And, because we're licensing QuickRecord on a subscription basis with remote implementation and maintenance, the impact on our capital budgets is minimal."
The QuickRecord Suite will also provide AOIC with an electronic library of administrative and clinical forms that can be generated on-demand and automatically populated with patient information. The system electronically stores and prints checks, bar-coded wristbands and labels, registration forms, discharge summaries, aftercare instructions and other documents, so caregivers spend less time handling paperwork and more time with patients. Optio's electronic signature capture capability captures and securely binds patient and physician signatures to electronic forms without scanning.
"At AOIC, our definitive product is the physician's report, and QuickRecord will enable us to expedite turnaround times," said Sam Korsmo, AOIC chief operating officer. "Currently, we have 24-hour turnaround from the time a patient walks in to the time the referring physician receives the radiologist's report. We expect Optio to reduce this to a few hours. Shorter wait times for diagnoses and treatment add up to better health care and increased physician and patient satisfaction."
Optio solutions also establish a path for gradual transition to a paperless environment and a foundation for a community-based electronic medical record (EMR). In a state with a land mass larger than Texas, California and Montana combined, electronic access to health records is crucial to providing quality care to areas isolated by rugged geography and climate. In fact, Alaska reaches so far west that the International Date Line had to be bent to keep the state all in the same day.
"We spoke with several vendors, and Optio was the only one that could provide us with a comprehensive EMR and forms solution," concluded Korsmo. "Other companies' products were geared for hospitals of 100 beds or more and didn't fit our needs and they were too expensive."
About AIOC
Founded in 2001 in Wasilla, Alaska, AOIC has locations in Anchorage, Soldotna, Fairbanks and Wasilla. A pioneer of secure, Web-based teleradiology, AOIC offers positron emission tomography (PET), ultrasound, nuclear medicine, digital radiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography and bone density screening. For more information, visit www.alaskaopen.com.
About Optio Healthcare Solutions
More than 700 healthcare organizations use Optio forms automation, electronic medical record and clinical document management solutions to capture, format, scan, view, sign, archive and deliver real-time access to patient information at the point of need. For more information about our healthcare solutions, visit www.optiosoftware.com.
About Optio Software, Inc.
More than 5,000 companies use Optio solutions to achieve unprecedented speed, accuracy, functionality and quality in their inbound and outbound document processes and extend their enterprise resource planning (ERP) and hospital information systems (HIS) applications. Founded in 1981, Optio Software maintains world headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga., with Europe, Middle East and Africa headquarters in Paris and sales offices in Germany and the United Kingdom. More information about Optio Software (OTCBB:OPTO) is available at www.optio.com.
(c) Copyright 2005, Optio Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Optio and Optio QuickRecord Suite are registered trademarks and MedEx is a trademark of Optio Software, Inc. Other companies and products mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.