University HealthSystem Consortium selects Sypherlink

Data standardization tool enables easier data analysis 

Dublin, OH, Jan. 05, 2004 -- Sypherlink, a leading technology firm that enables information sharing across multiple data sources and provides information access controls, and University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) have completed Phase I deployment of Sypherlink's data standardization technology.

"Every hospital uses different descriptions and slightly different formats for the same item," said Steve Katamay, MD, UHC's Senior Director of Technology and Development. "To compare hospital data, you must be able to compare apples to apples, which means comparing the same generic terms."

Sypherlink's Learning Lexicon technology will enable UHC, an alliance of academic clinical enterprises, to increase efficiency by standardizing the terminology used for similar products and services across more than 100 associated health centers and affiliated members.

"We're excited to have been selected by such a respected leader in the health care industry," said James Paat, Sypherlink President and CEO. "UHC has a wide variety of technology and vendor options, and it's a testament to our unique heuristic matching technology that Sypherlink was chosen for this very important initiative."

"We were looking for a methodology to scan each record and standardize the output for easier data analysis," said Katamay. "Sypherlink worked with us to adapt its technology to suit our data standardization requirements."

The Sypherlink: Learning Lexicon solution fuses the automated analysis (heuristics) from Sypherlink: Harvester's Analyzer component with learning algorithms to continuously improve the recognition of like terms. The learning algorithms employ artificial intelligence mechanisms to build a knowledge base that expands and is refined with each use of the tool. The correction actions made by the user of the tool provide the domain expertise information needed to establish an increasing degree of accuracy in matching different terms with like meanings from disparate environments.

About University HealthSystem Consortium
Founded in 1984, the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) is an alliance of the clinical enterprises of 91 academic health centers. While focusing on the clinical mission, UHC is mindful of and supports the research and education missions. As an idea-generating and information-disseminating enterprise, UHC helps members pool resources, create economies of scale, improve clinical and operating efficiencies, and influence the direction and delivery of health care. For more information, visit (www.uhc.edu)

About Sypherlink
Sypherlink is a software firm that delivers patent-pending technology to accelerate the data sharing process across multiple data sources. By automating the tasks associated with data discovery and mapping and providing information access controls, Sypherlink helps global 1000 companies, state and federal agencies and health care providers to more effectively and efficiently leverage critical information. Sypherlink is headquartered in Dublin, OH and maintains an office in Washington D.C.