MAS News...

IL GEM^® Premier 3000 Critical Care Analyzer Joins the RALS^®-Plus Menu

Charlottesville, VA and Lexington, MA – February 20, 2002 – Medical Automation Systems, Inc. (MAS) and Instrumentation Laboratory Company (IL) announce the integration of the GEM^® Premier 3000 critical care blood gas analyzer into the RALS-Plus Information Management System for point-of-care testing.  The commercial launch of the integration is expected during the summer of 2002. 

By incorporating the RALS-Plus information management system, the GEM Premier 3000 now becomes a part of an independent connectivity solution for the transmission and management of critical care data between the point of care and the laboratory/health information system (LIS or HIS).

“We are very pleased to formalize our relationship with IL,” said Greg Menke, chief executive officer and president of Medical Automation Systems.  “Our goal from the inception of our business in 1994 was to provide data management solutions for all point-of-care testing.  The GEM Premier 3000 is an important player in the POCT arena, and its addition to RALS-Plus significantly enhances our device module offerings to our RALS customers,” he continued.

“IL is delighted that our partnership with Medical Automation Systems will enhance our information management offerings to GEM Premier 3000 customers by providing an alternate multi-vendor device option for near-patient testing sites,” said Ramon Benet, Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Vice President, Sales and Service of IL. “The GEM Premier 3000 is a revolutionary product that provides customers with a level of reliability, ease-of-use and cost-effectiveness unparalleled in the industry. Now, with the addition of RALS-Plus we are further improving our product offering with even greater ease-of-use and continuing to change the critical care testing market.”  

The heart of the GEM Premier 3000 is the system's unique, disposable multi-use cartridge that eliminates the dozens of consumables and maintenance items required by traditional analyzers.  The cartridge contains everything needed to operate and maintain the analyzer: sensors, solutions, gases, pump tubing waste container, and even the sampler; the cartridge is simply replaced once every three weeks.  A variety of cartridges are available with analyte menus and test volumes to fit the needs of both centralized and decentralized testing locations.  User-friendly operation allows for easy integration into many sites within an institution. 

The GEM Premier 3000 features an easy-to-use, colored touch-screen that enables technical and non-technical users to learn its operation in minutes.  A high-powered processor offers the user expanded data management capabilities, such as patient history, QC scheduling and QC lockout, making regulatory compliance automatic even in remote locations.  The GEM Premier 3000's planar sensor technology has proven itself over a ten-year period and provides laboratory quality results.  Today, over 1,000 GEM Premier systems are in operation around the world.

RALS-Plus is a vendor-independent, multi-analyte POCT information management system, capable of managing POCT data in a real-time, multi-tasking environment.  It manages the data from POCT devices throughout a hospital or health system.  The consistent look and feel of each RALS-Plus screen, independent of device, enhances usability and reduces training and support issues.  The system includes all hardware and software, LIS interface, training, and technical support.  RALS-Plus benefits include its vendor-independent and multi-analyte capabilities, seamless integration with most network protocols and configurations, comprehensive quality control, and its ability to facilitate compliance with major regulatory requirements. 

###

Medical Automation Systems (www.medicalautomation.com/) is the leading supplier of information management systems for point-of-care testing with over 350 installations and 10,000+ connected devices throughout the U.S. and Canada.  The company's flagship product is RALS®-Plus (Remote Automated Laboratory Systems), a multi-instrument, vendor-independent information management system for POCT.  MAS products include RALS®-LIS, a standalone connectivity solution that simplifies the LIS/HIS order and result entry process, including automatic patient verification via the RALS®-ADT capability.  RALS-LIS uses Direct (EDI) HL7, Terminal Emulation (Scripted) and Windows™ Interfacing methods, is compatible with all major LIS vendors as well as the company's RALS®-Plus vendor-neutral information management system.  MAS is a charter and founding member of the Connectivity Industry Consortium (CIC) which ensures that RALS products will always reflect the latest in industry standards.  The company is privately held and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia.