For Immediate Release: December 20, 2006

Contact: Brian Reardon (217) 544-6464, ext. 44306

St. John’s Hospital provides physicians mobile access to patient information

SPRINGFIELD – St. John’s Hospital has implemented a new mobile patient data system that
allows physicians to download information about their patients, such as lab results and medication
lists, on a handheld device before they begin rounding. The Mercury MD MData® system is
designed to enhance patient care, decrease medical errors and shorten length of stay by
improving clinical workflow and efficiency.

“We recognize that by literally putting real-time patient information in the hands of physicians,
we can improve the quality of care our patients receive,” said Richard Carlson, Executive
Vice President, St. John’s Hospital. “Physicians who use this system can access patient
data anytime, anywhere.”

Mercury MD integrates hospital data and securely delivers patient information directly to
clinicians’ handheld devices enabling doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare
professionals to have anytime access to current and comprehensive clinical data. The
system highlights those patients who have the most critical medical needs, allowing
physicians to prioritize which patients they see first on their rounds.

“Using Mercury MD, I have checked on up-to-date patient information on a train to Chicago
and sitting in a meeting in Las Vegas. Recently, I saw a new patient in the nursing home
and was able to review labs, consult notes, and imaging data from his recent
hospitalizations on my Smartphone in a matter of minutes without breaking my
workflow,” said Dr. Craig Backs, Physician Group Associates. “Having this information
available at the bedside enabled me to focus on using, not getting, the information I need
to help patients.”

In addition to labs results and medication data, Mercury MD also provides radiology
reports, discharge summaries and information on a patient’s medical history.
Physicians can view transcribed reports using their handheld device.

"During the time that I have been involved in medicine, hospital stays have become
shorter and testing has become more extensive. As a consequence, medical care
now relies on the rapid accumulation and analysis of patient related information.
This program allows me to have access to the results of a large variety of different types of
tests almost immediately and thus improves my ability to provide optimal medical care
in a timely fashion," said Dr. David Rogers, SIU School of Medicine.

Mercury MD is designed to work with the comprehensive electronic medical record
system being developed by St. John’s Hospital. The system works with most PDAs.
Physicians who do not own a PDA can check out a handheld device from the hospital’s
Physician Informatics Lab.

“Our residency program is very important part of our mission and in a teaching
environment setting it is critical to have the most current tools to assist in the learning
process” said Bob Milner, Director of Information Technology, St. John’s Hospital.
“The feedback from our residents has been overwhelmingly positive.”