Aon and LMS Launch Risk Management Initiative in Obstetrics
CHICAGO, April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aon Risk Services, a subsidiary of
Aon Corporation (NYSE:AOC), today announced that it has entered into an
agreement with LMS Medical Systems (AMEX:LMZ) Toronto, a healthcare technology
company and developer of the CALM(TM) system (Computer Assisted Labor
Management), to assist hospitals to improve their risk management profile in
obstetrics.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041215/CGW049LOGO ) Obstetrics is well recognized as a highly complex specialty where medical
professionals are required to make repeated timely and precise interpretation
of changing physiological markers for both mother and baby as labor evolves. Failing to identify and or respond to any number of factors during labor and
delivery can negatively impact outcomes. In addition, the absence of
standardization of interpretation and care has led to the current overuse,
under-use and misuse of clinical resources and interventions, all of which have
placed a significant financial burden on medical staff and payors alike.
Over the past decade, obstetrics has become one of the most litigated areas in
healthcare in the United States and elsewhere. It is therefore no surprise
that hospitals, clinicians and risk managers are looking to improve outcomes,
increase patient safety and enhance their overall risk profile.
Aon Healthcare works with health care facilities across the United States to
help them maximize their "return on risk" by analyzing their risk profiles,
providing front-end tools and delivering process-driven products that support
better access and affordability of insurance for institutions and practitioners
alike. Given the often-direct correlation between the quality of medicine in an
organization and the cost of risk, providers can no longer afford to treat the
two as unrelated.
"Many providers are looking for ways to build risk reduction strategies that
will yield improved actuarial loss projections," said Matthew Rice, a vice
president with Aon Healthcare. "This is possible with the collaboration of
forward-thinking underwriters, innovative product and service providers who
structure their offering with both quality and risk in mind, and internal and
external data. Together with LMS, Aon can bring innovative risk reduction
solutions to obstetrical providers." LMS specializes in risk management tools for obstetrics. These tools analyze
the dynamics of physiological indicators during childbirth for mother and baby. CALM Curve provides for the consistent and objective assessment of the
progress of labor. Better labor assessment may lead to a more timely and
appropriate use of cesarean sections. CALM Patterns provides objective,
real-time detection, classification and labeling of fetal heart rate patterns. Better assessment of fetal distress may reduce the incidence and severity of
birth related brain damage.
"LMS tools provide insight that will help clinical teams make the right
decisions for their patients at the right time for the right reasons," said
Diane Cote, CEO of LMS. "This initiative with Aon provides a platform for
healthcare facilities, their physicians, nurses, risk managers and insurers to
work together in support of better outcomes, improved safety and reduced risk." About Aon Aon Corporation ( http://www.aon.com/ ) is a leading provider of risk
management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, human capital and
management consulting, and specialty insurance underwriting. The company
employs approximately 48,000 professionals in its 500 offices in more than 120
countries. Backed by broad resources, industry knowledge and technical
expertise, Aon professionals help a wide range of clients develop effective
risk management and workforce productivity solutions.
Aon Healthcare is dedicated to solving business, patient outcome and human
capital risk issues for health care. Aon Healthcare coordinates services of
its national, regional and local expertise as a seamless team. Comprehensive
expertise includes medical professional, managed care, captives, claims and
risk control, benefits design and management, compensation consulting, HR,
financial risk management, Return on Risk strategies, and change management.
About LMS LMS Medical Systems ( http://www.lmsmedical.com/ ) is a leader in the
application of advanced mathematical modeling and neural networks for medical
use. The LMS Computer Assisted Labor Management product suite provides
physicians, nursing staff and risk managers with innovative obstetrical
decision support and risk management tools integrated into robust clinical
information systems designed to improve outcomes and patient care for mothers
and their infants during labor and delivery.
For further information please contact: Thaddeus Woosley, Aon Corporation
Tel: (312) 381-2446
Email:
Website: http://www.aon.com/ Andrea Miller, Communications
LMS Medical Systems Inc. Tel: (514) 488-3461 Ext. 222
Fax: (514) 488-1880
E-mail
Website: http://www.lmsmedical.com/
This press release contains certain statements related to future results, or
states our intentions, beliefs and expectations or predictions for the future
which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from either historical or anticipated results depending on a
variety of factors. Potential factors that could impact results include:
general economic conditions in different countries in which we do business
around the world, changes in global equity and fixed income markets that could
affect the return on invested assets, fluctuations in exchange and interest
rates that could influence revenue and expense, rating agency actions that
could affect our ability to borrow funds, funding of our various pension plans,
changes in the competitive environment, changes in commercial property and
casualty markets and commercial premium rates that could impact revenues,
changes in revenues and earnings due to the elimination of contingent
commissions, other uncertainties surrounding a new compensation model, the
impact of regulatory investigations brought by state attorneys general and
state insurance regulators related to our compensation arrangements with
underwriters and related issues, the impact of class actions and individual
lawsuits including derivative actions and claims under ERISA, the cost of
resolution of other contingent liabilities and loss contingencies, and the
difference in ultimate paid claims in our underwriting companies from actuarial
estimates. Further information concerning the Company and its business,
including factors that potentially could materially affect the Company's
financial results, is contained in the Company's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041215/CGW049LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aon Corporation CONTACT: Thaddeus Woosley of Aon Corporation, +1-312-381-2446, , or Andrea Miller, Communications, of LMS Medical Systems Inc., +1-514-488-3461 Ext. 222, fax, +1-514-488-1880, Web site: http://www.aon.com/ http://www.lmsmedical.com/
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