Microsoft Healthcare Users Group and Microsoft Announce Annual Awards Call For Entries

CHICAGO and REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Healthcare Users Group (MS-HUG), a membership community in the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Users Group Alliance Program, and Microsoft Corp. today announced a call for entries for the MS-HUG Annual Awards, which include the Industry Solutions Awards for Healthcare (ISAH) and the Healthcare User Awards.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )

Since 1997, Microsoft and MS-HUG have presented the ISAH annually to recognize independent software vendors that best utilize Microsoft(R) technology to provide tangible business benefits to healthcare organizations. In 2001, Microsoft introduced the Healthcare User Awards program to recognize customers that demonstrated the best use of Microsoft-based products to improve the delivery of patient care and increase organizational efficiency. This year's Healthcare User Awards program includes a new category: Microsoft Nurse of the Year.

Industry Solutions Awards for Healthcare Categories Three finalists will be chosen in each of the following categories: -- Administrative and Financial Systems -- Acute Care: Clinical and Patient Information Systems -- Ambulatory Care: Clinical and Patient Information Systems -- Enabling Technologies Healthcare User Awards Categories Three finalists will be chosen in each of the following categories: -- Microsoft Physician of the Year -- Microsoft Hospital of the Year -- Microsoft Clinic of the Year -- Microsoft Health Plan of the Year -- Microsoft Pharma of the Year -- Microsoft Nurse of the Year Awards Schedule

Solutions from the finalists in each category will be demonstrated at the HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition, Feb. 22-26, 2004, in Orlando, Fla. Award winners will be announced during the conference.

An online entry kit and full details are available on the MS-HUG Web site at http://www.mshug.org/awards/index.asp . Entries must be submitted online by 5 p.m. PST on Friday, Dec. 19, 2003. More information about the awards is available by contacting Monika Skibeness at monika_tcs@msn.com or 425-316-3079.

About MS-HUG

MS-HUG is a membership community within the HIMSS Users Group Alliance Program. The independent, nonprofit Microsoft Healthcare Users Group is the leading healthcare industry forum for exchanging ideas, promoting learning and sharing solutions for information systems using Microsoft technologies. MS-HUG works to provide industry leadership, drive appropriate standards and develop associated requirements in support of healthcare solutions. The diverse membership of MS-HUG is united by a shared interest in implementing vendor- and user-developed software based on Microsoft technology to improve quality and efficiency in healthcare. More information can be found on MS-HUG's Web site at http://www.mshug.org/ .

About HIMSS

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology and management systems for the betterment of human health. More information is available on the HIMSS Web site at http://www.himss.org/ .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.

NOTE: Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information on Microsoft Healthcare: http://www.microsoft.com/healthcare/

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CONTACT: Sherold Barr of SS+K, +1-541-343-9623, or sbarr@ssk.com, for
Microsoft Corp.

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/healthcare

Web site: http://www.himss.org/

Web site: http://www.mshug.org/

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/