Infoway Negotiates Canada-wide Preferred Solution Agreement with MedPlus, Inc. for Laboratory Information Systems

Toronto, January 17, 2008 - Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) today announced it has negotiated preferential conditions and pricing with MedPlus, Inc. through a national Preferred Solution Agreement for Laboratory Information Systems. MedPlus is the health care information technology subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. This Canada-wide agreement will help accelerate the implementation of laboratory information systems, which automate the flow of laboratory requisitions and results.

"Laboratory test results are vital because they provide health care professionals with the information they need to support decision-making and case management at the point of care. Yet for every 1,000 lab tests performed, up to 150 are wasteful duplicates when results are tracked on pieces of paper that can be misplaced," said Richard Alvarez, President and CEO of Canada Health Infoway, the federally-funded, independent not-for-profit organization which invests with public sector partners to accelerate electronic health records across Canada. "Implementation of electronic access to laboratory information will help reduce unnecessary duplicate tests and help speed diagnosis, resulting in quicker access to appropriate care."

"MedPlus is delighted to be Infoway's first laboratory information system Preferred Solution Provider. With over 120,000 physicians currently using the Care360^TM system we are confident that Canadian health care providers will be pleased with the features and functionality of our user-friendly solution," said Richard Mahoney, President of MedPlus and Vice-president of Healthcare Information Solutions at Quest Diagnostics.

Laboratory information systems automate information flow, which allows authorized health care professionals - such as doctors and nurses - to spend less time tracking results manually and more time providing patient care. They also provide a secure, electronic view of a patient's test results regardless of where the original test was completed.

Through preferred solution agreements with participating vendors such as MedPlus, the Canadian health care system benefits from leveraging experts with a deep understanding of the pan-Canadian EHR and the country's need to adopt established standards to ensure interoperability. MedPlus (www.medplus.com) is the health care information technology subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics and a leading developer and integrator of clinical connectivity and health care information exchange solutions.