Initiate Identity Hub(TM) Software Awarded 'Best In KLAS' Enterprise Master Person Index (EMPI) For Third Consecutive Year

CHICAGO, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- KLAS Enterprises, a leading healthcare research and consulting firm, recently announced that Initiate Systems, Inc., (formerly Madison Information Technologies, Inc.), a leading provider of Enterprise Master Person Index (EMPI) software and services for managing patient identities, has received the prestigious Best in KLAS Award for 2003, marking the company's third consecutive Best in KLAS win and fifth consecutive overall KLAS award designation in the past three years. Initiate also earned the overall highest rating for the past two consecutive KLAS Mid-Year Top 20 Report Cards, further demonstrating the company's commitment to excellence and leadership in the healthcare industry.

The Best in KLAS Report assesses product performance and customer satisfaction data collected over the past thirteen months from healthcare professionals and IT executives. Companies included in the KLAS survey must have a focused healthcare solution, an available product and a participating client base large enough to produce statistically significant results. Initiate ranked highest in the EMPI category, one of twenty-six market segments evaluated for the report.

"Since customer satisfaction and product leadership are our top business priorities, we are thrilled to be recognized for our contributions to the healthcare industry by both our customers and top industry professionals," said Lorraine Fernandes, senior vice president for the healthcare practice at Initiate. "Our customers certainly recognize the importance of EMPI in regards to patient safety, but they are now starting to see how it adds value to the back-office by helping improve revenue cycle management, as well as reaching into marketing, CRM, portals and personal access communications systems (PACS) to improve targeting and efficiency."

Initiate is at the forefront of software innovation in the healthcare industry. Initiate Identity Hub software instantly and accurately links up- to-the-moment data about patients and/or providers across all points of encounter and back office systems. By empowering applications with the most accurate, complete and up-to-date information on demand, Initiate's software delivers the personal profiles that are needed to enhance patient satisfaction, reduce safety risk and improve revenue cycle management while conforming to HIPAA and other regulations.

"Initiate's performance was measured by KLAS interviews with healthcare professionals and IT executives at numerous operational client sites," said Ralph Reyes, KLAS senior vice president. "These interviews were conducted throughout the year and reported in KLAS 'Top 20' reports. The Fall 'Top 20' report identifies the best performing HIT solutions for that given year, where each vendor product was categorized into a market segment and subsequently compared to and ranked against other similar products. Initiate's client satisfaction placed the company's product, Initiate Identity Hub software, at the top of the EMPI category for the third consecutive year."

Initiate is exhibiting at the 2004 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition (booth #4635), and will be presented with the Best in KLAS Award during a ceremony scheduled to take place on Monday, February 23, at the KLAS booth (#2226).

About Initiate Systems, Inc.

Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Chicago, Initiate Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of Enterprise Master Person Index (EMPI) software and services for managing patient identities. Initiate delivers on-demand integration of and access to accurate, up-to-the-moment data. Initiate offers solutions that deliver high business value in many industries, including healthcare, financial services, hospitality and the public sector, and across many applications, including CRM and business intelligence. Our award-winning Initiate Identity Hub(TM) software and its related applications deliver the highest degree of accuracy on demand, regardless of data volume. Initiate has analyzed more than one billion individual patient records on behalf of hundreds of customers. For additional information, visit http://www.initiatesystems.com/ .

Initiate, the Initiate logo, and Initiate Identity Hub are trademarks and/or service marks owned by Initiate Systems, Inc., which may be registered in certain jurisdictions.

About KLAS Enterprises

KLAS is an organization established in 1996 to provide the healthcare information technology (HIT) industry with unbiased factual information on HIT vendor performance. With an average of 25 years in HIT /healthcare experience KLAS executives collect rankings and rating of HIT vendors and personally interview healthcare executives on their HIT vendor experience. KLAS, in concert with hundreds of CIOs and other healthcare professionals, has created a dynamic database of information about the performance of Healthcare Information Technology Software Vendors. This extensive database contains vendor performance data representing over 4500 healthcare facilities, 300+ vendors and 500+ different products. KLAS's performance reports are used by vendors to ensure they are meeting the needs of customers, and by healthcare providers to find out which vendors truly deliver what they promise. For further information contact KLAS Enterprises, LLC at 801-226-5120 or on their Web site http://www.healthcomputing.com/ .

Initiate Systems, Inc.

CONTACT: Deena Talano of Initiate Systems, +1-312-759-5019,
dtalano@initiatesystems.com , or Michael Beno of Ruder-Finn, +1-312-329-3970,
benom@ruderfinn.com

Web site: http://www.healthcomputing.com/http://www.initiatesystems.com/