MaSSSoftech

Quick, if your life depended on it, which health care information system would you rather your hospital used:

* A proprietary system developed by software engineers based on marketing input, bug reports and customer requests?
* An open source system developed by thousands of health care practitioners including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, techs and developers, tested and refined in hundred of hospitals?

Well?

A Vista that works.
Known as VistA (Veterans health Information Systems and Technology Architecture), it consists of over 20,000 programs that share an Electronic Health Record (EHR). While it was initially developed at the Veterans Administration Hospitals - America’s single largest health care system - the open source product is freely available.

What does the VA know?
The government can’t do anything right - except for the finest military in the world, the National Labs, the very popular Medicare program, DARPA, aviation safety, GPS, the original Internet and hundreds of other excellent agencies and programs - so how good can VA care be? Is “best” good enough?

According to a Fox News BusinessWeek magazine article:

The 154 hospitals and 875 clinics run by the Veterans Affairs Dept. have been ranked best-in-class by a number of independent groups on a broad range of measures, from chronic care to heart disease treatment to percentage of members who receive flu shots. It offers all the same services, and sometimes more, than private sector providers.

According to a Rand Corp. study, the VA system provides two-thirds of the care recommended by such standards bodies as the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. Far from perfect, granted — but the nation’s private-sector hospitals provide only 50%.

And while studies show that 3% to 8% of the nation’s prescriptions are filled erroneously, the VA’s prescription accuracy rate is greater than 99.997%, a level most hospitals only dream about. That’s largely because the VA has by far the most advanced computerized medical-records system in the U.S.

And for the past six years the VA has outranked private-sector hospitals on patient satisfaction in an annual consumer survey conducted by the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan. This keeps happening despite the fact that the VA spends an average of $5,000 per patient, vs. the national average of $6,300.

[bolding added]

One more kicker: vets are older and sicker than the general population, making this performance even more impressive. It wasn’t always so - my late father, a WWII vet and a doctor, wasn’t impressed in the ’80s - but during the Clinton administration the VA launched a successful effort to improve care using technology and common sense.

Spend less? Get more? No wonder health reform is controversial!

Errors can be hazardous to your health
Almost 200,000 people a year die of preventable hospital mistakes according to a recent report. That’s 4x the deaths of traffic accidents - too bad hospitals don’t have seat belts.

We don’t know the exact number because the American Medical Association and American Hospital Association spent $81 million lobbying against a national medical error reporting system. They said the system would drive medical errors underground: doctors “burying” their mistakes?

Shocking. I so-o-o trust the medical establishment.

The bigger picture
With the complexity of diagnosis and treatment, the many drug interactions, and the scarcity of good information on what works and what doesn’t, it is obvious that information technology can - and in the VA and some other countries has - lowered costs and improved care as the President says.

But in today’s system, the insurance companies make more money when they don’t pay for care. And it is the sickest among us who suffer the payment denials, since they need the most care.

Today insurance companies make their money cherry-picking the healthiest and denying the sickest. So centralized electronic health records are a weapon that can be turned against us at any time as proof of a “pre-existing condition” to deny reimbursement.

Requiring that insurance companies offer insurance to everyone who applies and eliminating the “pre-existing condition” excuse are crucial reforms. After all, “life” is a pre-existing condition that inevitably leads to death.

Given the results the VA has shown, a “public option” is a great way to push the insurance companies and for-profit hospital chains to improve care, reduce errors AND drive down costs.

The Storage Bits take
In a field as complex and fast-changing as health care a proprietary system would be hard-pressed to keep up with the needs of thousands of hospitals. Open source won’t be perfect either, but putting the resources close to the people using them just makes more sense.

We are rapidly approaching a day when there is enough storage capacity for each of us to store detailed health-related records. Not just doctor’s visits, but exercise details, diet, drinking and more.

When all Americans have access to non-emergency health care and aren’t penalized for pre-existing conditions that information will help all who care to live stronger, longer and healthier lives. At lower cost to society.

(UMCI News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Morocco's public sector is increasingly wired with information and communications technology (ICT) but faces challenges in equipping and supporting employees, a recent survey showed.

The comprehensive survey, the first of its type ever carried out on ICT in the public sector, was conducted by the Ministry for Public Sector Modernisation by mailing questionnaires to 256 bodies, including ministries, high commissions and public agencies.


Although the survey showed a strong presence of ICT in 86% of the government bodies that responded, it also revealed that a relatively small number of ministerial departments have high-quality infrastructure, and few have significant levels of IT support staff.

"While the Moroccan government has an annual budget of 600 million dirhams for operations and investment, this survey nonetheless shows that there is a small number of IT staff," said Karim Jazouan, a manager at the internet, mobile and content service provider Casanet. "IT specialists make up just 1% of the staff of the various government authorities." Support issues aside, several positive trends appeared in the survey, which was conducted between October 2008 and June 2009.

First, the ministry found that local area networks are becoming more common within government agencies. The survey report, released in July, showed that more than 90% of the respondents, including those within ministerial departments, have these networks.

A second positive sign of IT integration is the percentage of government bodies possessing domain names. More than 79% of the respondents reported having this crucial intellectual property. Yet only 287 of the public-sector agencies surveyed actually used their domain name to put up a website.

"Besides the limited number of government websites, even those that are online do not provide up-to-date or locally relevant information," said the director of the development company ADK Media, Driss Lebbat, underlining another deficiency in the government use of ICT.

Bolstering IT security is another priority of the Moroccan government, according to the survey. Of the government bodies surveyed, 47% reported having an integrated IT framework or IT plan, and an equal percentage said they have an IT security plan. Nearly 70% of the public-sector bodies surveyed reported having an IT system security officer.

Despite these technological advances, challenges face Morocco's ICT efforts. The survey showed that on average, just one workstation (desktop computer or laptop) is available for every four public-sector employees. Just half of all computers are connected to the internet, the clunky 256kbps being the most common access speed. Perhaps as a consequence of this low connectivity, only 12% of public-sector employees have a work email address.

Morocco is also working to get the bugs out of its e-governance, the survey revealed. The kingdom has 286 remote services that operate via various distribution channels such as the internet, call centres and interactive terminals, the survey found, all of which must be protected from computer and network glitches.

"The challenge currently facing authorities is to successfully adopt a form of governance for its e-gov strategy and also to encourage resource-sharing and subcontracting to make successes of the projects under way," said the general secretary of the Department of Postal Services, Telecommunications and Information Technology Tayeb Debbagh.

In the face of all these challenges, Moroccan public-sector employees are showing resourcefulness. The survey showed that more than one in three agencies uses free software, and the use of freeware jumped to 39.25% among those with a database management system (DBMS).

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Aug 24, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- For the third consecutive year, financial executives have overwhelmingly rated Information Integrity as their most critical technology issue, revealed in an annual survey commissioned by the Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF), the research arm of FEI, and produced independently by research and advisory firm Gartner, Inc.

Released today, the joint study, entitled "Technology Issues for Financial Executives," surveyed more than 250 senior financial executives over the past seven months to identify high-priority information technology concerns. More than 84 percent of the financial executives surveyed rated Information Integrity as important or critical to meeting their business objectives. An overwhelming majority of respondents (three quarters) describe their present level of Information Integrity as "hampering current business objectives." Despite this fact, more than half (59%) of respondents indicated that they did not have a formal program planned to improve Information Integrity.

"Given the importance of Information Integrity and the broadly-shared belief that the lack of Information Integrity is negatively impacting business performance, it is very alarming that more organizations do not already have improvement programs and plans in place," said FEI President and CEO Marie N. Hollein. "We recognize that this is a significant void among finance professionals, and one that can potentially have an impact on companies globally. FEI is addressing this concern through a strategic partnership with software provider Infogix, which will help to further educate our members of the opportunities that independent information controls provide in improving Information Integrity."

Additional key findings from the survey include:

-- More than half (51.9%) of financial managers view measuring product and customer profitability as the top constraint.

-- A third (37.5%) of respondents perceive integrating the financial function with the overall enterprise as a high priority.

-- Corporate Performance Management is seen as a high priority investment.

-- With the current level of IT spending averaging 3.65% of revenue, 39.9% of respondents saw IT spending at the same level from 2006 and 2009.

-- Firms are still willing to make investments in technology despite the recession, whereas 86.3% of firms are willing to make IT investments in areas that can demonstrate competitive advantage, efficiency and enterprise transformation capabilities.

Through the strategic partnership, FEI's 15,000 members have access to the Information Integrity(R) experts at Infogix and are equipped with helpful solutions to assure the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of critical business information and processes.

"The increasing escalation of information errors turning into embarrassing news headlines is one more indication of the growing Information Integrity imperative," said Infogix company leader, Madhavan Nayar. "We are pleased and proud to share our expertise and customer successes to educate FEI's members on best practices in implementing information integrity solutions."

Three-fourths of FEI member survey participants are at the senior executive level or higher, and represent companies of all types, sizes and industries, including financial services, high tech, consumer goods, retail, manufacturing and others. FERF and Gartner executed the survey and resulting research independent of Infogix. To learn more about the survey and to view the full report, visit www.infogix.com/financial_executives.

About Financial Executives International (FEI)

Financial Executives International is the leading advocate for the views of corporate financial management. Its 15,000 members hold policy-making positions as chief financial officers, treasurers and controllers at companies from every major industry. FEI enhances member professional development through peer networking, career management services, conferences, teleconferences and publications. Members participate in the activities of 85 chapters, 74 in the U.S. and 11 in Canada. FEI is headquartered in Florham Park, NJ, with additional offices in Washington, DC, and Toronto. Visit http://www.financialexecutives.org/ for more information.

About Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF)

Since 1944, FERF has been an independent source of practical information, service and expertise for senior financial executives. FERF is primarily supported by voluntary, tax-deductible contributions from corporations, FEI chapters and individuals. FERF's mission is to meet the needs of the financial management professional by identifying, developing and distributing timely research in a variety of ways. FERF provides a wide range of research-driven content through published research studies, articles in Financial Executive magazine, electronic newsletters and the FEI Web site, among other formats.

About Infogix, Inc.

Many of the world's largest enterprises depend on Infogix Controls to eliminate information errors. Infogix Controls are independent, automated and continuous. They can be deployed enterprise-wide across applications, platforms, and business processes. Infogix offers a powerful portfolio of software products and services (Infogix Controls Solutions) to monitor, detect, and prevent information errors. Since 1982, Infogix has been providing Infogix Controls Solutions to Global 2000 enterprises. Millions of Infogix Controls continuously monitor and assure the integrity of information in hundreds of enterprises every day. For more information visit www.infogix.com.

SOURCE: Infogix, Inc.

FAIRFAX, Va., Aug 24, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Conference to Focus on the Obama Administration's Goals of Collaboration, Transparency and Accountability

Senior government and industry officials will examine "A New Era of Innovation" at the Executive Leadership Conference (ELC) of the American Council for Technology and the Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) in Williamsburg, Va., on Oct. 25-27.

The conference will feature government technology experts discussing forward-thinking themes and reviewing the Obama administration's stated priorities of enhancing collaboration, transparency, and accountability.

Panelists scheduled to participate at the conference include:

-- Ed DeSeve, Special Advisor to the President, Assistant to the Vice
President and Special Advisor to the OMB Director for implementation of
the Recovery Act, who will update conference attendees on what's
happening with the American Recovery and Restoration Act and why.





-- The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of the Department of Veterans
Affairs (invited) who will discuss "Creating a 21st Century
Department of Veterans Affairs."





-- Donna Brazile, Democratic Strategist, Author, and Educator, who will
shed light on the "Political Mood and Outlook of the Country."





-- Joe Davidson, Federal Diary Columnist, The Washington Post, who will
moderate a panel with key members of the Obama leadership team to
discuss the president's management agenda.





Others invited to the conference are John Berry, Director of U.S. Office of Personnel; Aneesh Chopra, Federal Chief Technology Officer, Office of Science, Technology & Policy; Lesley Field, Deputy Administrator for OFPP/OMB; and Danny Werfel, Deputy Controller of the Office of Federal Financial Management, OMB.

"With the administration's emphasis on collaboration, transparency and accountability, government and industry leaders are focused on innovative technologies and creative business practices that will enhance those three missions and more," said Diana Gowen, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Qwest Government Services, and the industry co-chair of this year's ELC. "We are bringing together high-level experts and conference attendees to facilitate a meaningful discussion on a range of key topics concerning the critical role information technology (IT) plays in making the administration's goals a reality."

"More than in previous times, IT now offers opportunities for profound improvements in several areas," said Sara DeCarlo, Vice President, Strategic Business Development, Nortel Government Solutions and IAC chair. "At ELC we will explore and discuss cloud computing, Web 2.0, and social networking to see how we, as a federal IT community can best improve Health IT, infrastructure, acquisition, security, and more. Engaging citizens and delivering results through innovative measures are key to the future of government. ELC is a unique forum for this kind of conversation across government and industry."

At the ELC, senior executives from the public and private sectors collaborate on how to leverage information technology to serve citizens and improve government operations. Long considered the premier event in the government IT community, ELC attendance is limited to preserve the opportunities for discussion and collaboration.

The four conference tracks this year focus on: Collaboration, Health IT, Infrastructure and Cloud Computing, and Innovation.

And, back by popular demand, the ELC will again feature the Tuesday morning "CXO Breakfast" where CXOs from federal agencies will have a dialogue with conference participants in a more intimate setting.

The agenda for the 2009 ELC was developed over the past year by a team of more than 40 government and industry volunteers.

Registration is open for all attendees for this popular conference. A complete schedule and registration information is available at the ELC website - www.actgov.org/ELC2009.

Additionally, a few sponsorships still remain. Please contact Charlene Nieman at 703-208-4800 ext.205 to learn more about these opportunities. For further information on the conference, contact Kristyn Rivellese at krivellese@actgov.org or 703-208-4800 ext.223.

About ACT-IAC - Government and Industry IT: One Vision, One Community

The American Council for Technology (ACT) is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1979 to assist government in serving the public through the effective and efficient acquisition of information technology (IT) resources. ACT provides education, programming, and networking opportunities to enhance and advance the government IT profession.

In 1989, ACT established the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) to foster a collaborative environment between industry and government in the IT arena. Through this collaboration, industry and government executives exchange information, support professional development, improve communications, and build partnerships.

ACT-IAC has been recognized as the premier public-private partnership in the government IT community and as an example of how government and industry can work together. Through this unique relationship, ACT-IAC provides an objective, professional, and ethical forum for government and industry leaders to address common issues towards a shared vision. For more information, visit www.actgov.org or call (703) 208-4800.

SOURCE American Council for Technology

http://www.actgov.org

THE inspector general of the Veterans Affairs
Department reports that thousands of employees of the agency's technology office received $24 million in bonuses over a two-year period.

The report said Jennifer Duncan, who was executive assistant to the former assistant secretary for information technology, acted "as if she was given a blank checkbook," giving employees bonuses and college tuition, some of which went to her friends and relatives.

Duncan gave herself $60,000 in bonuses. Three other high-level officials received bonuses of $58,000, $59,000 and $73,000.

In 2007 alone, 4,700 employees were awarded bonuses that averaged $2,500 each.

The technology office was under the gun to improve the agency's ability to process claims. All this took place as veterans waited months for disability checks.

The damage such stories do to public confidence in government management is profound.

Where's the nearest prosecutor?

When Dusty Davidson and Kevin Zink first opened BrightMix, a company that develops Internet-based software applications, they worked out of Zink's basement.

Within three months, Davidson and Zink moved into their own Omaha office space. Today, just two years after startup, they employ three other computer whizzes and oversee a paid summer internship program.

Davidson, who graduated from Iowa State with a computer science degree in 2003, said he never imagined when he got out of school that he'd be his own boss. He worked at an unsatisfying corporate job before he ever got the bright idea to create BrightMix.

But Davidson said he might have been able to get where he is today even more quickly had he been enrolled in a program like the one the University of Nebraska at Omaha will begin offering this fall.

UNO is touting the new Bachelor of Science in IT Innovation degree as one of the first of its kind in the country because it lets students blend the study of information technology with any existing undergraduate program on campus.

The program, created by Jerry Wagner, is designed to set students up with a foundation in information technology while forcing them to think about how they might use their degree after graduation. But when it comes to choosing the exact field of study — be it management, marketing, graphic design or fine arts — it's up to each student to fill in the blank.

“It's still untested, of course,” said Wagner, a senior research fellow with the College of Information Science and Technology. “But we think this is something a lot of students might have an interest in pursuing.”

Wagner said the degree, just approved formally this summer, has been in the works for more than three years. It started when the school found that more students were interested in combining some facet of IT with computer science, graphic design or art.

In the process of exploring that demand, Wagner said, the idea evolved to create a degree that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.

Because the new bachelor's degree will become an official offering in 2009-10, Wagner said, there aren't yet any students signed up. But he expects that undergrads — most likely freshmen and sophomores who aren't already deep into a major — will begin switching into the program once they learn more about it.

The IT Innovation program requires fewer credits than a double major.

Students will have to take 52 credit hours of general education courses, 36 hours of IT classes, 33 hours of flexible courses from elsewhere on campus and a two-semester capstone class as a senior.

During the capstone, students will develop an IT product or service, document its technical and market feasibility and create a prototype.

Students pursuing the new degree will have opportunities to attend workshops, conferences and seminars about entrepreneurship, and they also will be assigned a mentor in the local business community.

Phil Ruhlman, chief information officer of Gallup, said he's excited about the program's potential to get students thinking outside the box.

Ruhlman, who consulted with Wagner in creating the degree, said it's clear that the field of IT no longer functions as a niche specialty but instead has become a critical part of all facets of business. And he said there are few limits to how students might use their computer background in the corporate world — be it working for themselves or a larger company.

“Whether it's theater, music, software development, whatever, I think a huge part of the future lies in combining different disciplines,” said Ruhlman, who has a theater degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “I've always thought you gain a lot by combining different areas of study with an eye on creativity and innovation.”

As part of the program's proposal process, Wagner sought input and found endorsements from more than 20 metro area business leaders.

“I do think there's widespread excitement in the business community for this to get started,” Wagner said.

Davidson, who grew up in Council Bluffs, understands why. He called information technology “a phenomenal place to start if you're interested in creating your own business.”

“All you really need is a computer to get up and running, and that's very powerful.”

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

The city could get a huge boost in its revenue stream this week as nearly 6,000 people are expected to converge on Montgomery for the 22nd Air Force Information Technology Conference.
It's the biggest event in the Capital City and is anticipated to generate about $15 million over the four days it's at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, said Dawn Hathcock, vice president for convention and visitor development for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

The conference broke attendance goals in 2008 -- despite tornadoes on the first day -- drawing 6,110 attendees, said Jason Bishop, spokesman for the 754th Electronic Systems Group at Gunter Annex. The 754th hosts the conference.

This year's theme is "Air Force IT: The Warfighter's Edge in Battlespace." It will focus on the technologies that help troops on the battlefield and allow government and industry leaders to learn about current capabilities and discuss future technologies.

Several big names are slated to speak at the conference, including Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Norman Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff; and Gen. Robert Kehler, Air Force Space Command Commander, among other military leaders.

In addition, workshops will be led by representatives from several leading information technology companies that are participating in the conference. About 200 vendors also are expected.

"The priority is to bring together industry and government and academia in order to promote the technologies for today and tomorrow ... and how we can best utilize the applications of these technologies," said 1st Lt. Nicolas Aquino, chairman of this year's conference.

Aquino headed a committee of 234 volunteers and partnered with the
chamber, the city of Montgomery, the Montgomery chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and others to plan the four-day session.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Bright, D-Montgomery, is a keynote speaker Tuesday. He's a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee.

John Caporal, deputy director of the Air Force Small Business Programs, will kick off the small business matchmaking sessions that are designed to help small business get government and industry contracts or partnerships.

Each year, the conference is open to Department of Defense personnel, government contractors, college educators, local and state employees and college students majoring in IT or business.

Hathcock said the majority of generated revenue comes from hotel bookings and dining, but also from transportation and vendors who organize private parties throughout the week.

2008 Georgia 'CIO of the Year' to run TechLINKS' technology strategy

ATLANTA, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Chief Information Officer Tim Davis has been named executive vice president and CIO of TechLINKS(TM).

Davis, who led Popeyes' technology initiatives for more than four years, will be responsible for implementing TechLINKS' strategic plan and running a new sourcing network designed for buyers and sellers of information technology. The technology executive previously served on TechLINKS' advisory board.

"I believe that 'webinizing' what TechLINKS has learned about bringing buyers and sellers of technology together will significantly improve the quality of research that takes place at the front end of the procurement cycle," says Davis. "For the providers of technology, the TechLINKS network will be a well-stocked pond of warm leads."

For nearly 12 years, TechLINKS published a magazine serving the Atlanta technology community, provided a website for company announcements, and hosted popular business-to-business events.

Now, TechLINKS is offering services that streamline the early-stage IT sourcing process and has just launched a social platform that nonprofit organizations can use to build online B2B communities.

The TechLINKS sourcing network significantly improves the research and discovery process that takes place at the front end of the procurement cycle. Without TechLINKS, companies are faced with:

* Numerous unqualified vendors--as well as cold leads that buyers have to wade through.
* Longer purchasing cycles.
* Cumbersome lead-generation and vendor-tracking processes.
* The potential release of security or business weaknesses.

The TechLINKS' social platform offers members of nonprofit organizations:

* The ability to create in-depth search-engine-optimized profiles.
* A place to publish syndicated announcements, calendar events, whitepapers and blogs.
* Full integration with their LinkedIn and Facebook pages.
* A central site to view community events.

Davis brings 20 years of IT leadership to TechLINKS. In 2008, the Georgia CIO Leadership Association named Davis the state's CIO of the Year in the corporate category. At Popeyes, he oversaw both the daily operations and long-term IT strategy of the company. He also launched Popeyes' social media program, which now includes consumer outreach on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

"At Popeyes, I saw the tremendous benefits that social media could bring to a business-to-consumer company," says Davis. "By using social technologies, TechLINKS is now playing a big role in the way IT buyers research and connect with suppliers. The more I immerse myself in TechLINKS' game-changing solutions, the more I'm excited about it."

Prior to his role at Popeyes, Davis was the senior director of information technology at Inovis, a provider of ecommerce software and business-to-business transaction processing. He previously served a seven-year stint managing network services at Geac, which was acquired in 2005 by software giant Infor.

Davis, who lives in Atlanta with his wife and two sons, holds a degree in Management Information Systems from The University of Georgia.

About TechLINKS

TechLINKS is where buyers and sellers of information technology go to connect. TechLINKS is also where technology associations go to build interactive communities.

We're the only company focused on the early-stage technology sourcing process. And unlike other social network solution companies, our management team has more than 40 years experience serving the technology industry. That means all TechLINKS network solutions are built from the ground up for IT professionals.

To find out how you can better connect with other IT professionals, visit techlinks.net or e-mail us at mike@techlinks.net.


SOURCE TechLINKS

MONTREAL, CANADA -- (Marketwire) -- 08/24/09 -- ZoomMed Inc. (TSX VENTURE: ZMD), creator of the ZRx Prescriber, announces that it has registered an American subsidiary under the name ZoomMedUSA Inc. in order to export the ZRx Prescriber to the United States.

Following the economic stimulus bill put forward by President Barack Obama and ratified in February 2009 (Economic Stimulus Package), stating that $19 billion will be invested to modernize health information technology systems, including electronic prescription systems, ZoomMed intends to benefit from this opportunity.

The reason behind the registration, right away, of an American subsidiary, rests on the fact that the ZRx Prescriber has to be approved by different American organisations which require a presence in the United States, such as SureScripts, the largest electronic prescribing network in the United States (www.surescripts.com) and "Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT)" a health information technology certifying body officially recognized by the American government.

The creation of ZoomMedUSA will require no significant additional resources, neither human nor financial, since:

(i) The certifying process and the modifications to the ZRx Prescriber will be done by the actual development team located in Brossard. Thanks to the ZRx Prescriber's flexible technology, we do not foresee any difficulties in achieving these tasks and;

(ii) ZoomMed will not operate ZoomMedUSA until it signs a partnership or distribution agreements, for the ZRx Prescriber deployment, with one or more American corporations. Discussions with a few well positioned American companies which showed noticeable interest are already in progress.

As planned, ZoomMed moves on with its Canadian marketing strategy. The amount of physicians choosing the ZRx Prescriber increases constantly, Pharmaceutical corporation contracts and requests for proposals are also increasing.

Furthermore, ZoomMed is actually launching an intensive marketing campaign targeting Quebec's pharmacists, in order to promote our "e-Pic communication Network" which allows communication and prescription information exchange between physicians and pharmacists. This campaign includes a mass mailing of Informational documentation to more than 1,800 pharmacies.

About the ZRx Prescriber

ZoomMed developed the ZRx Prescriber, a technically innovative Web application that enables physicians to use wireless devices such as the IPod Touch(TM), IPhone(TM), and other PDA's or desktop computers to rapidly generate prescriptions. The ZRx Prescriber is quick, efficient and intuitive. Since it is a stand-alone product, it can easily be integrated into any Electronic Medical Record software (EMR).



The TSX Venture Exchange does not assume any responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Contacts:
ZoomMed Inc.
Yves Marmet
President and Chief Executive Officer
450-678-5457 (228)
info@zoommed.com
www.zoommed.com