Advanced ICU Care celebrates 2009 with numerous clinical, financial accomplishments

For immediate release

St. Louis, MO (December 22, 2009) - Advanced ICU Care today announced several significant accomplishments as 2009 comes to a close. Committed to helping address common problems facing hospitals - including enhancing patient outcomes, improving access to intensivist care and managing costs - Advanced ICU Care brings 24/7 intensivist coverage, supported by cutting-edge technology and a process improvement program, to hospital ICUs.

Throughout 2009, Advanced ICU Care has continued to strengthen its position as an industry leader in using telemedicine technology to provide measurable improvements in patient care, safety and financial outcomes - particularly as the healthcare landscape continues to undergo significant discussion and change. Selected accomplishments include:

Program expansion -- In 2009, five more hospitals implemented the Advanced ICU Care virtual ICU program, and two additional hospitals are set to begin using the program in 2010. The program is now in 14 hospitals across seven states, and the number of monitored ICU beds has risen by more than 80 percent over the past year.

Industry leadership -- Advanced ICU Care and partner hospital St. Mary's Health Center in Jefferson City, Mo., were invited to speak at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care. Their presentation, "Using Telemedicine to Prevent the Preventable in the ICU," highlighted the quality outcomes of the virtual ICU program at St. Mary's.

Awards -- Advanced ICU Care CEO Mary Jo Gorman, MD, MBA, was selected by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of its Top 25 Women in Healthcare in 2009. Gorman joined women across all areas of healthcare, including many who are working to shape healthcare reform. Mary Jo also was selected as one of Midwest CEO magazine's Most Influential Women in 2009.

Company expansion -- Advanced ICU Care continued to build its clinical and operations teams to support its clients, significantly increasing the number of ICU nurses, physicians and nurse practitioners providing 24/7 patient monitoring and support.

Hospital financial and quality results -- Advanced ICU Care's client hospitals have realized significant improvements in ICU mortality rates, length of stay and quality measures. Overall, hospitals using virtual ICU programs have seen a reduction in ICU mortality of 29 percent. The program also cuts costs in the ICU and increases revenues. St. Mary's Health Center experienced a $1.2 million revenue increase in the first two years after implementing its virtual ICU program with Advanced ICU Care.
"This past year has been an exciting one for our company," said Mary Jo Gorman, MD, MBA, chief executive officer for Advanced ICU Care. "We have continued to work in collaboration with our hospital partners to achieve our shared goals: to improve the quality and safety of patient care while also helping to manage costs. As healthcare reform continues to bring about major efforts to reduce costs and improve quality, we expect companies that combine technology and quality, such as ours, to continue to grow and help reshape the delivery of care."

About Advanced ICU Care

Advanced ICU Care® is a medical service company that provides high-quality remote critical care to patients in the intensive care units (ICU) of community hospitals. Through experienced clinicians, supported by cutting-edge telemedicine technology and a process improvement program, Advanced ICU Care provides continuous ICU patient monitoring and improved care and safety outcomes to critically ill patients across the country. Hospital ICUs are linked with Advanced ICU Care's virtual ICU Operations Center in St. Louis, Mo. through a technology platform developed by VISICU, allowing Advanced ICU Care's board-certified intensivists (critical care medicine physicians) and critical care nurses to monitor hospital ICU patients from a central location. For more information, visit: www.icumedicine.com.

Media contact: Donya Hengehold, 314-276-4995