New Irish Health Contract

RNS Number:4206Q
IMS Maxims PLC
01 October 2003


PRESS RELEASE

IMS MAXIMS PLC

1 October 2003


IMS MAXIMS PLC wins contract to upgrade Hospitals and Health Boards across
Ireland to Windows-based PAS

In a key initiative the Health Board Executive (HeBE) in Ireland has signed a
contract with IMS MAXIMS plc to upgrade their existing PAS (Patient
Administration System) to facilitate healthcare provision across Ireland in the
migration towards integrated electronic patient records.  Owned by the
Department of Health & Children and used by 48 hospitals in the Midland and Mid
Western Health Boards plus the Eastern Regional Health Authority, the new PAS
functionality will include front-end Windows applications and an upgrade to
state-of-the-art relational database technology.

In Phase One the PAS will migrate onto Oracle from its current older file
structure plus new Bed Management and Discharge Management applications,
operating in Microsoft Windows, will be added.  Approximately 100 management
reports will be redeveloped to run in the new environment, which will make it
much easier to meet any future information extraction and reporting needs.
Phase Two, which is planned as an immediate follow-on, will replace the existing
character-based Admission/Discharge/ Transfer (ADT) modules with Windows
functionality.  This will make it possible to add a range of leading clinical
applications such as those developed by IMS in collaboration with numerous
hospitals across Ireland and the UK.

Denis Doherty, Director of HeBE, comments:  "In the current situation, where
many demands are competing for scarce financial resources, I am delighted that
the modifications to the Irish PAS will provide an extremely cost effective way
forward for Irish Hospitals and Health Boards.  The development will ensure we
have an excellent platform on which to base any future plans for integrated
systems that deliver improved patient care."

Brian Ennis, Managing Director of IMS MAXIMS plc adds:  "I am very pleased to
have finalised this agreement.  As a result of the work now underway, the Irish
PAS will migrate to the most current of technologies, including web capability.
This will ensure that user hospitals can easily add applications that deliver
hospital and community-wide Electronic Health Records (EHR).  It will now be
possible to operate in a mixed environment, keeping older, character-based
terminals where necessary and adding advanced Windows-based or web-enabled
applications as appropriate."

Denis Doherty, Director of HeBE, concludes:  "This imaginative project will
extend both the life and the functionality of our PAS.  At the same time it will
eliminate the characteristics that have restricted our ability to add integrated
applications to support the evolving needs of a modern Health Service."


Contacts:          Brian Ennis                     Ann Braham
                   Managing Director               Marketing Consultant

                   IMS MAXIMS plc                  Ann Walls Associates
Tel:               [phone]                 01558 668582


This press announcement has been issued by Insinger de Beaufort on behalf of IMS
Maxims plc

Insinger de Beaufort is a subsidiary of Bank Insinger de Beaufort.  Authorised
and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

Registered in England and Wales No. 2582230


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