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Zix Corporation Selected By Independence Blue Cross for E-Prescribing Pilot Program; Philadelphia's Largest Health Insurer to Make PocketScript(R) Available to Select Physicians in Three States

Posted on: Monday, 19 September 2005, 09:00 CDT

Zix Corporation (ZixCorp(R)), (Nasdaq:ZIXI), a global provider of secure e-messaging and e-prescribing solutions and services, today announced that Independence Blue Cross (IBC) -- Philadelphia's largest health insurer with more than 3.5 million members -- will sponsor an e-prescribing pilot program for an initial 500 physicians in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, evenly split between ZixCorp's PocketScript service and a second vendor's e-prescribing solution. The agreement represents the fulfillment of a previously announced Letter of Engagement (LOE).

The pilot e-prescribing initiative will provide select physicians in IBC's network the opportunity to use ZixCorp's comprehensive e-prescribing service, which includes: a wireless handheld PDA; the PocketScript e-prescribing solution; wireless connectivity; access to data, formulary, eligibility, and pharmacy information; training; service; and support for up to one year. Terms are included in the agreement to enable expansion of the program after the pilot period at IBC's discretion.

"e-Prescribing holds the promise of providing our physicians and members with more efficient and effective patient care," said Dr. Steve Udvarhelyi, senior vice president and chief medical officer for IBC. "This technology will allow a physician to view real-time information about a patient's prescription history, current medications and drug benefits -- helping make a better informed decision about the best drug to prescribe for a patient and helping to reduce medication errors.

"IBC is committed to providing our members access to quality, affordable health care. e-Prescribing can help us meet that commitment."

PocketScript will enable participating IBC physicians to write and generate electronic prescriptions directly to pharmacies through either a wireless handheld PDA or a secure Web site. The application includes real-time formulary information so that users can easily obtain information regarding IBC's preferred drug list. It also includes access to a drug reference guide, drug-to-drug and drug-to-allergy information, and previously dispensed patient drug history data.

America's healthcare spending in 2004 grew at a faster rate than the year before for the fifth consecutive year. According to IBC, at this current pace healthcare spending by 2010 will reach $2.6 trillion, twice the amount spent in 2000. PocketScript can help control or reduce overall healthcare costs through improved prescription legibility and office efficiencies for prescribers and pharmacies, and lower drug costs through improved formulary compliance and generic prescribing.

"Building on our success in Massachusetts and New Jersey, now Independence, another large and progressive healthcare company with a physician network exceeding 20,000 physicians, has selected ZixCorp. We believe this further strengthens our leadership in this emerging and potentially high-growth market," said Rick Spurr, chief executive officer for ZixCorp. "Providing member physicians with this time-saving, efficient e-prescribing solution creates an excellent return on investment for health plans and physicians. This can be reflected by an increase in on-formulary and generic prescriptions and a decrease in medical errors due to improved prescription legibility and reduced dangerous drug interactions. We're excited to have another forward-thinking company as a customer and another pilot program in the heavily populated Northeast. Together, we can help ensure safer, more cost-effective healthcare."

Physician recruitment for the pilot program is expected to begin immediately.

About IBC

Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.5 million people. For more information, visit http://www.ibx.com.

About Zix Corporation

Zix Corporation (ZixCorp(R)) provides easy-to-use-and-deploy e-communication services that protect, manage, and deliver sensitive information to enterprises and consumers in healthcare, finance, insurance, and government. ZixCorp's eSecure services enable policy-driven email encryption, content filtering, and send-to-anyone capability while its eHealth services improve patient care, reduce costs, and improve efficiency through e-prescribing and e-lab solutions. For more information, visit www.zixcorp.com.

Source: Business Wire

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