MedErr DataApplication Ltd. News Release

Release Date:            October 29, 2007

Release #:                  005

Laurens County Healthcare System First in Nation to Try MedErr DataApplication Ltd. Software to Reduce Medical Errors

New company, MedErr DataApplication Ltd, challenges medical industry to reduce errors, save lives and limit rising healthcare costs; MedErr DataApplication Ltd. praises Laurens County Healthcare System for being proactive.

MedErr DataApplication Ltd and the Laurens County Healthcare System together announce that the Clinton, SC hospital is the first in the nation to begin beta testing on MedErr DataApplication Ltd.’s software, which allows hospitals to track and prevent medical errors.

MedErr DataApplication Ltd. is a new company based in Charleston, SC that is aiming to help hospitals reduce the number of medical errors made annually.

The partnership with the Laurens County Healthcare System is hoped to be the first of many that MedErr DataApplication Ltd. will forge with hospital systems and leaders who want to take advantage of the new software. Laurens County Healthcare System representatives say they are proud to be the first to do so.

“A responsible hospital is one that will seek innovative ways to improve itself,” said Rich D’Alberto, the CEO for Laurens County Healthcare System. “As soon as we heard there might be a way to track and prevent even the smallest of errors, we knew we wanted to hear more. Our staff is top notch, and the MedErr DataApplication Ltd. software gives us the opportunity to become as close to perfect as humanly possible. We are eager to see what we can learn from this new venture.”

The mission statement found on the Laurens County Healthcare System’s Web site shows the hospital’s commitment to its patients: “To deliver progressive health care in an atmosphere of continuous improvement in order to ensure ‘we do the right things’ for all we serve, making the county a healthier place to live and work.”

MedErr DataApplication Ltd.’s software could become the world’s first standardized deterrence against the global pandemic of medical errors, along with cooperation from the medical industry and commitments by hospitals such as the Laurens County Healthcare System.

“Preventable medical errors kill up to 200,000 patients, injuring many more, each year at an annual cost to the healthcare industry of $50 billion,” said William Hoyes, founder and president of MedErr DataApplication Ltd.. “Patients and insurance carriers bear most of this expense, resulting in higher expenses for all.”

Although each of the nation’s 6,000 hospitals has an individualized program that promotes patient safety, the incidence of errors in U.S. hospitals continues to climb each year.

“This is due to the failure of all other tracking systems to present data in a usable form, one that can prevent future mistakes,” Hoyes said. “The unorganized, individualized attempts to curb this pandemic simply has not worked. It’s time for a different approach.”

Hoyes compares MedErr DataApplication Ltd.’s software potential for the healthcare industry with the aviation safety model -- a technique with a proven track record in other high-risk industries such as petroleum, chemical, aviation and nuclear energy.

Beta testing is the last step to finalizing MedErr DataApplication Ltd.’s software package. Technical experts have been perfecting the software for over a year, so even though only a few hospitals will be asked to undergo beta testing, it will soon be available to hospitals on a national and global level.

MedErr DataApplication Ltd. gained input from Health Sciences of South Carolina on software revisions concerning interfacing and user friendliness before proceeding to the beta testing phase.

As MedErr DataApplication Ltd.moves forward with software usage and hospital industry support, Hoyes has high hopes for the company and its goals.

“All you have to do is look at the names, affiliations and relevant experience of our board members to know that the medical industry has a dire need for a single, cooperative approach to reducing medical errors,” Hoyes said. “These proactive board members offer a wide range of talents, experiences and reputations, assets that will ensure the company’s managed growth and success in reducing the global pandemic of preventable medical errors.”

The Board of Directors affiliations include the teaching hospitals of Harvard, Northwestern and University of Texas Medical Schools, as well as leaders of various medical associations and software engineering schools.

SIDEBAR: Laurens County Health Care System

(Source: Laurens County Health Care System Web site, http://www.lchcs.org)

-                      Laurens County Health Care System opened in 1990 and is licensed for 90 beds (76 acute and 14 skilled nursing).

-                      It is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and retains more than 450 full-time and part-time employees and 60 volunteers, in addition to a quality medical staff of more than 48 physicians and 65 consulting physicians.

-                      Recognized as one of South Carolina’s progressive community hospitals, the hospital is a state leader in providing innovative and informative educational programs in an effort to teach the community how to live healthfully and well.

-                      Our Mission: To deliver progressive health care in an atmosphere of continuous improvement in order to ensure "we do the right things” for all we serve, making the county a healthier place to live and work.

-                      Laurens County Health Care System is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees approved by the Laurens County Council. Board members serve rotating terms.

-                     History: The Laurens County Hospital opened in Laurens in 1911. To serve the Clinton area, the Hays Hospital was built in 1918. The facility burned in the 1920s and was rebuilt. A new two-story general hospital was erected in 1936. In 1962, the Bailey Memorial Hospital in Clinton came to fruition. In July of 1981, the boards of both hospitals approved a petition to merge into a single hospital district. The entire health service system then became known as the Laurens County Health Care System. On March 4, 1988, the Laurens County Hospital held its official groundbreaking ceremony at the new hospital site. After two years of construction, the hospital opened in November of 1989.

For more information on the Laurens County Health Care System, visit http://www.lchcs.org.

For more information on MedErr DataApplication Ltd and for a list of the company’s board members, visit www.mederr.com.