ORLANDO, JUNE 19, 2006 — GE Healthcare, a leading vendor of clinical and financial information technology solutions, today announced the launch of Centricity Enterprise Remote Services, which will facilitate the adoption of integrated electronic medical records (EMRs) by mid-size healthcare organizations.  The solution, unveiled during the 2006 Healthcare Financial Management Association Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., will provide the capabilities of GE Centricity Enterprise (formerly IDX Carecast™) on a remotely hosted ASP subscription basis.

“Remote hosting puts sophisticated health information technology within reach of many more hospitals, not just academic medical centers and large integrated delivery networks,” said David Henriksen, vice president and general manager of GE Healthcare.  “Integrated software solutions could yield significant benefits in terms of both efficiency and quality of care, but until now, mid-size organizations simply didn’t have the resources to implement or maintain such a robust system.”

Hospitals using Centricity Enterprise Remote Services will have access to enterprise-wide clinical and financial applications, without the initial outlay required to purchase hardware and software, and without dedicating resources to implementing, maintaining and upgrading the software.  Customers will utilize leading digital healthcare applications such as computerized order processing, nursing and physician documentation and electronic medication administration record (MAR), patient management, accounting, registration and scheduling.

The first organization to sign-up for the new service is THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano, a full-service heart hospital, which is scheduled to open in January 2007 as part of the prestigious Baylor Health Care System.

“Centricity Enterprise Remote Services will provide us with a strategic EMR solution and allow us to leverage GE’s software expertise to run our clinical and financial software applications while our clinicians do what they do best – deliver safe, quality, compassionate health care,” said Mark Valentine, president, THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano.

Under the ASP arrangement, the Centricity Enterprise system will run on HP Integrity NonStop™ servers owned by GE and located at its hosting center in Chicago.  GE will be responsible for all technical support of Centricity Enterprise software versions, including installation of new release software and maintenance of the NonStop servers.

This model enables mid-size hospitals to quickly implement a comprehensive clinical information system, with lower maintenance costs and a lower total cost of ownership compared to purchasing the system outright.

“GE’s vision of boundaryless healthcare – a digital collaboration across entire communities of care providers, without limits based on time, location, or distance – relies on removing the barriers to healthcare IT adoption,” said Henriksen.  “Centricity Enterprise Remote Services will help us achieve that vision.”

About THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano
Currently under construction, THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano will be the first and only freestanding hospital in Collin County dedicated solely to providing inpatient and outpatient cardiovascular care. The $100 million, 68-bed hospital is scheduled to open in January 2007 on the campus of Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano.  The hospital was created through a partnership between Baylor Plano and 86 cardiovascular physicians and surgeons, and its construction and design maximizes the delivery of safe, quality, compassionate health care. To receive a fact sheet about THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano, please call Randy Johnson, director of marketing, at 972.930.9054 or email your request to:  willjoh@baylorhealth.edu.