Biosign signs collaboration agreement with IBM

TORONTO - Biosign Technologies Inc. announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with IBM. Under the agreement, Biosign and IBM have formalized and agreed to accelerate an existing collaboration in commercializing advanced health monitoring services powered by Biosign's UFIT(R) system. The system leverages IBM's service oriented architecture (SOA) to allow customers to meet the strong demand for high-performance care in the patient-centric, personal health care and clinical research markets.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the medical care costs of people with chronic diseases account for more than 75% of the United States $2 trillion plus medical care costs. The agreement between Biosign and IBM consolidates and coordinates the two companies' efforts to address the burgeoning epidemic in chronic disease including hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease and diabetes.

"IBM has made a commitment to improve the lives of people where they live and work," said Sal P. Causi, IBM's Business Development Executive. "Today's healthcare challenges demand innovative, cost effective solutions that will ensure improved access to care and quality of care. We were seeking a robust global health monitoring technology with an intelligent alerting system for patients that would scale with WebSphere and other IBM deployments and Biosign's solution was a perfect fit."

Specifically, IBM will continue to offer Biosign's UFIT(R) health monitoring technology to its customers and IBM Business Partners. UFIT(R) is especially well suited for use with IBM's healthcare business offerings, including Acure and other health portals, WebSphere, Personal Care Connect and the "Smart Home" solution.

"IBM's global brand and focus on health care solutions aligns with Biosign's strategic goals. This agreement demonstrates our strong relationship and validates our complementary technologies," said Richard Potts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Biosign. "IBM's expertise in IT infrastructure and telecommunications support, combined with access to regional partners, is unsurpassed in delivering national and global health care solutions. We are delighted to be working with IBM and its customers, and we're proud to be part of IBM's global health monitoring strategy," added Potts, noting that IBM has already made several significant connections. "Our vision and the urgent need to transform healthcare are all in harmony with the new IBM tagline: Stop Talking - Start Doing."

By providing instant access to vital information in a standardized format, the companies are building an on-ramp to personal health monitoring. Such monitoring helps improve the quality of care through better data acquisition and improved patient-physician relationship. The companies expect this agreement to accelerate the path to commercializing solutions that enable prompt access to safe and efficient health care services.