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Rochester, NY April 6 — Logical Images, Inc., the expert source for visually based medical technology, today announced the availability of VisualDx 6.06, the most recent version of its flagship visual diagnostic decision support system that helps physicians improve diagnostic accuracy at the point of care. Enhanced with more resources and new clinical information, VisualDx 6.06 features a new Pressure Ulcer Staging educational module that will help clinicians better identify pressure ulcers and care for the millions of people suffering from them each year.

A pressure ulcer, also known as a decubitus ulcer or bed sore, is an area of skin that breaks down when a person stays in one position for too long without shifting his or her weight. The constant pressure against the skin reduces the blood supply to that area, and the affected tissue dies. According to the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP), $1.3 billion has been spent annually on the treatment of pressure ulcers since 2006.

Recognizing the health threat and the rising cost of misdiagnosis and mishandled treatment of pressure ulcers, the NPUAP recently added two new stages of this condition for a total of six stages. Staging pressure ulcers is important because the treatment is specifically based on the stage of the ulcer. In response to this, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that treatment of stages III and IV will not be reimbursed when acquired in the hospital (ie, preventable). Meanwhile, CMS announced that it will increase funding to hospitals treating stage lll and lV ulcers that are documented as being present on admission.

"Pressure ulcers are an overlooked and growing health concern affecting more than 2.5 million patients in US acute care facilities each year," said Dr. Art Papier, Chief Scientific Officer of Logical Images. "It was once the responsibility of nurses to diagnose and manage pressure ulcers, but diagnosing, treating, coding, and documenting pressure ulcers are now important responsibilities for physicians, wound care specialists, and wound care nurses. Logical Images developed this comprehensive pressure ulcer staging and treatment reference and integrated it into VisualDx, now making staging, documentation, and coding of pressure ulcers possible in seconds. Information in seconds is critical for our emergency and hospital users."

Common in bedridden and wheelchair-bound individuals, pressure ulcers affect approximately 25% of nursing care residents and are the second most common cause of litigation in nursing homes, after wrongful death. Unrecognized or incorrectly treated, pressure ulcers can lead to increased pain and infections and longer, costlier hospital stays. Approximately 60,000 patients die each year due to complications stemming from pressure ulcers.

Further highlighting the importance of accurately identifying and treating pressure ulcers, in 2000, the US Department of Health and Human Services called for a 50% decrease in the incidence of pressure ulcers by 2010 as part of its Healthy People 2010 initiative.

VisualDx 6.06 offers the following:

• Staging according to the depth of the ulcer
  
  
• Staging according to location
  
  
• Descriptive detail of each stage
  
  
• Generalized management of pressure ulcers
  
  
• Risk assessment of pressure ulcers, a turning schedule regimen, and types of wound dressings
  
  
• Individual management of each stage

VisualDx offers health care providers real-time access to clinical information and more than 17,000 medical images presenting diseases in variation of severity, skin type, age, and passage of time. Such enhanced diagnostic accuracy improves health care quality and helps to eliminate unnecessary and inappropriate testing, treatments, specialist referrals, and hospitalizations. It is the only point-of-care decision support system to merge medical images with clinical information to build a visual differential diagnosis for nearly 1,000 visually identifiable diseases, drug reactions, and infections based on actual patient findings. For additional product information, please visit http://www.visualdx.com.

About Logical Images
Based in Rochester, NY, Logical Images develops visual health care tools to elevate diagnostic accuracy, enhance medical education, and heighten patient knowledge. Logical Images is a company of digital imaging experts, leaders in computer-based design and knowledge management, skilled image archivists, and practicing physicians. The company's products include VisualDx, visual clinical decision support software for diagnostic accuracy, and VisualDxHealth, an online skin health and wellness resource located at www.visualdxhealth.com. Logical Images has developed the most comprehensive digital medical image library with over 50,000 images including all age ranges and skin types. This extensive collection is the foundation for both the VisualDx professional tool and the VisualDxHealth consumer tool — designed to speed disease recognition for faster, more accurate decision making and patient understanding. www.logicalimages.com