Oregon Medical Laboratories and 4medica announce partnership agreement


Oregon Medical Laboratories and 4medica announce partnership agreement
The partnership will allow Oregon Medical Laboratories to offer 4medica’s
web-based lab system in Oregon, Washington and Alaska

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26, 2007

Springfield, Ore., February 26, 2007-Oregon Medical Laboratories (OML), the leading regional clinical laboratory in Oregon and Southwestern Washington, and 4medica, a leading provider of web-based applications to support Laboratory Outreach programs, today announced a partnership under which OML will have exclusive rights to distribute the 4medica application to hospitals in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

Under the partnership, OML will offer 4medica’s web-based laboratory orders and result system to hospital laboratories that use OML as their reference laboratory. These hospital laboratories will thus be able to provide automated services to physicians and clinics in their communities. Implementation support and consulting services will also be provided by OML.

“OML has more than 150 practices with 730 physicians using 4medica to process more than 47,000 tests each month,” said Jeff Houck, MD, CEO of OML. “It is only natural for us to extend this capability and our experience to our hospital partners.”

4medica, the nation’s leading independent provider of clinical lab data via the Internet, serves more than 100 clinical laboratories and hospital systems and over 17,000 healthcare providers nationwide. Based in Los Angeles, Calif., 4medica offers physician practices the ability to order lab tests and receive results, from laboratories as well as radiology departments, online. OML is among the top five users of the 4medica system.

“This partnership with OML is a natural evolution of our growth strategy, which allows us to work with clients like OML to expand the network of 4medica clients,” commented Ravi Sharma, 4medica CEO. “4medica brings the technology and integration capability while OML brings the relationships, knowledge and experience of their market.”

In addition to providing the 4medica application, OML will also offer assistance with implementation and training to its hospital customers. “Some of our hospital partners have limited IT resources. We add value to the product by providing guidance that has grown from our experience,” added Houck.

Use of automation for laboratory orders and results has been increasing in recent years. Benefits for the physician include reduced paperwork and prompt notification of test results.

This collaboration is consistent with a major trend that has been recognized by leading lab industry observers. Robert L. Michel, Editor of The Dark Report, recently wrote that “orders and results have become a service requirement for effective outreach lab operations.” The partnership between OML and 4medica allows each to employ its core competency for the mutual benefit of both as well as to the benefit of hospitals and their clients in OML’s market area.

OML will offer the 4medica system as part of its Laboratory Enrichment And Development program (LEAD’„¢), a comprehensive suite of services designed to assist hospital laboratories extend services in their communities.

Oregon Medical Laboratories
Established in 1986, Oregon Medical Laboratories (OML) has grown to be the largest reference laboratory in Oregon, providing nearly half of the state’s reference laboratory services. Headquartered in Springfield, Ore., OML offers more than 1,000 different medical diagnostic tests, clinical laboratory consultation and drug testing services to thousands of hospitals, physician offices and employers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Last year, the company performed more than 7 million tests.

OML is one of a select number of laboratories nationwide to earn the Molecular Center of Excellence designation by Roche Diagnostics (a world leader in diagnostics testing). The designation recognizes OML as a laboratory that possesses the expertise, scientific acumen and instruments to perform diagnostic testing on a molecular and genomic level.

In addition, OML is one of fewer than 50 labs in the U.S. certified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

4medica
4Medica is the nation’s leading provider of web-based applications designed to support Laboratory Outreach programs. Its mission is to build and implement the best systems and solutions to streamline the workflow and dissemination of clinical information between laboratories, providers and healthcare institutions. 4medica also offers radiology ordering and resulting as well as ePrescribing.

Developed by physicians, 4medica’s applications have already received unrivalled acceptance because of their powerful, yet intuitive functionality, coupled with demonstrated ability to help reduce costs, improve quality of care and favorably impact clinical outcomes. Its lab ordering and resulting solutions connect over 100 commercial, pathology and hospital labs to more than 17,000 providers nationwide.

Media Contact: Linda Hawley
Oregon Medical Laboratories
541-984-8225,[email protected]

 

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