MedQuist Awarded Clinical Documentation Outsource Contract for St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center With Focus on Cost Savings, Quality, Peace of Mind

FRANKLIN, Tenn., May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MedQuist Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDH), a leading provider of medical transcription services and technology-enabled clinical documentation workflow solutions, today announced that it has been awarded a contract by St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, New York, to provide, among other things, clinical documentation outsourcing services projected to achieve significant cost savings and improve efficiency and quality.

Following their initiative to offer more in-depth, around the clock patient care, St. Joseph's providers were working longer hours and experiencing an increase of patient discharges on weekends.  The resulting increase in patient volumes prevented the HIM department from meeting the document turnaround times required by the new program.  Having a third party specialist with the capacity to meet high standards for turnaround time and document quality manage their clinical documentation process was the clear solution.  

Requirements critical to the selection process included industry expertise, transparency, and seamless employee transitions. "MedQuist is my choice because they deliver peace of mind," said Sharon Goettel, director of Health Information Management for St. Joseph's. "Their predictable path to speech recognition and transcription savings equals $300,000 annually, and a 24% decrease in spending on clinical documentation for our 431-bed facility.  Plus, my trusted employees gain the benefits of joining the MedQuist family, and we can count on complete and accurate reports to be delivered seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Having MedQuist's unmatched level of knowledge, experience and resources in our corner is invaluable."  

Physician and patient satisfaction was an essential requirement for St. Joseph's, according to Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sandra Sulik. "Our Medical Staff has the technology today to monitor their patient's progress from anywhere, anytime.  MedQuist is able to provide us with the expected turnaround time for these vital reports, 24/7, so that we can more efficiently take care of our patients," she said.

"MedQuist is pleased and proud to stand out as the vendor of choice for our commitment to our customers and our industry leadership.  Our technology-enabled clinical documentation services will accelerate their revenue cycle while decreasing turnaround time and helping them meet their patient care goals. We know that this is the kind of value that will lead to a long-term and successful partnership with St. Joseph's," remarks Peter Masanotti, President and CEO, MedQuist.

About MedQuist

MedQuist is a leading provider of medical transcription services, and a leader in technology-enabled clinical documentation workflow. MedQuist's enterprise solutions – including mobile voice capture devices, speech recognition, Web-based workflow platforms, and global network of medical editors – help healthcare facilities improve patient care, increase physician satisfaction, and lower operational costs. For more information, please visit www.medquist.com.

About St. Joseph's

St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center is a non-profit, 431-bed hospital and health care network providing services to patients from Onondaga and 15 surrounding counties. Through prevention programs and the latest diagnostic treatment procedures, St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center works with patients to achieve optimum long-term health. A 10-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph's is designated a Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor bestowed on a hospital for nursing care. Affiliated with Franciscan Companies, St. Joseph's is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis. For more information on St. Joseph's programs and services, call the Resource Line at 315-703-2138 or 1-888-STJOES1.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding MedQuist's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements. As a result, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE MedQuist Holdings Inc.