Spring Medical's SpringCharts Version 9 Receives CCHIT Certification

January 29, 2007 - Houston, Texas—The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT^SM) today announced that Spring Medical Systems is CCHIT Certified^SM for its product, SpringCharts Version 9 and meets CCHIT ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) criteria for 2006. Ambulatory EHRs are designed for physician offices and clinics where most Americans get their healthcare. CCHIT is a Recognized Certification Body in the United States for certifying health information technology - an independent, non-profit organization that sets the benchmark for electronic health records.

As a CCHIT Certified product, SpringCharts has been tested and passed inspection of 100 percent of a comprehensive set of criteria for:

• functionality (ability to create and manage electronic records for all patients, as well as automating workflow in a physician's office),
• interoperability (a first step in the ability to receive and send electronic data to other entities such as laboratories), and
• security (ability to keep patients' information safe).

The CCHIT Certified mark - a "seal of approval" for EHR products - provides the first consensus-based, consistent benchmark for ambulatory products. By looking to products with the CCHIT Certified seal, physicians and other providers can be assured they are making a reliable investment and insurers and other payers know the products meet expected industry standards.

"Physicians who purchase certified products have the assurance that they have been reviewed by a panel of judges, including practicing physicians, and that they are being evaluated against standards set by professionals in the field and successfully piloted with products from large and small companies," said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., chair, CCHIT. "The quality and safety of EHR products can now be measured using certification criteria that were developed specifically for that purpose."

“Spring Medical is proud to receive CCHIT certification for our SpringCharts EHR,” said Jack Smyth, president and CEO of Spring Medical Systems. “SpringCharts is known as not only a very easy-to-use and affordable EHR solution, but also as a leader in functionality. We believe CCHIT certification provides verification of SpringChart’s quality and reliability, so our customers can be certain they are making a technology investment that will provide significant value to their practices and their patients for years to come.”

The goals of CCHIT product certification are to reduce the risk of HIT investment by physicians and other providers; ensure interoperability of HIT products; enhance the availability of HIT adoption incentives from purchasers and payers; and protect the privacy of personal health information.

CCHIT's certification compliance criteria and its design for a certification inspection process have been thoroughly researched, taking into account the state of the art of EHRs and available standards, and comparing certification processes in other industries and other countries. The inspection process is based on real-life medical scenarios designed to test products rigorously against the clinical needs of providers and the quality and safety needs of healthcare consumers and payers. One script, for example, recreates a scenario of an elderly man with poorly controlled diabetes, hypertension and other chronic conditions in order to test EHR functions such as potential adverse drug reactions, disease management and treatment plans.

About CCHIT
The Certification Committee for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT^SM), founded in 2004, is an independent, nonprofit organization. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology by creating an efficient, credible and sustainable product certification program. CCHIT accomplishes its work through contributions of hundreds of expert volunteers and constructive engagement by stakeholders throughout the health care industry. In September 2005, CCHIT was awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop, create prototypes for, and evaluate the certification criteria and inspection process for EHRs and the networks through which they interoperate. In October 2006, CCHIT was deemed a Recognized Certification Body by the Department of Health and Human Services. More information on CCHIT and CCHIT Certified^SM products is available at www.cchit.org.

"CCHIT^SM" and "CCHIT Certified^SM" are service marks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.

About Spring Medical Systems
Spring Medical Systems, Inc. was founded by a team of physicians and technology professionals to develop easy-to-use software solutions that empower physicians to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and provide better patient care. Our flagship offering is SpringCharts®, an innovative electronic health records solution that combines the right mix of rich functionality, intuitive ease of use, and affordability needed to enable rapid and complete documentation with a minimum of cost and disruption. Now in its ninth year of development, and in use by physicians in a variety of medical specialties around the US, SpringCharts is the complete EHR Solution for independent medical offices.

Spring Medical Contact:
Mark Benvegnu
281-537-0186
Mark.Benvegnu@SpringMedical.com

SpringCharts is a trademark of Spring Medical Systems, Inc. All other product names are the property of their respective owners.

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