2005 Practice of the Year Winner Announced
OB/GYN Associates of Northwest Alabama Responds to Patient Needs

Baltimore, Maryland — October 24, 2005 — Physicians Practice®, America’s Leading Practice Management Journal, today introduced OB/GYN Associates of Northwest Alabama as the winner of its 2005 Practice of the Year competition.

“While visiting OB/GYN Associates of Northwest Alabama, you get the sense that it simply does a terrific job at anticipating and responding to what its patients need – perhaps even before the patients know or ask,” says Joanne Tetrault, special projects editor for Physicians Practice and one of six practice management judges for this year’s contest.

Among its award-winning qualities is a Special Delivery Bag, filled with coupons for baby items and educational materials for new mothers-to-be – an opportunity for the practice to reach out to its patients as well as to local businesses that donate goods and services. The group’s patient-friendly Web site (www.obgyn-associates.org) offers online appointment scheduling, online prescription refills, and pre-visit forms, as well as a detailed patient privacy statement to meet HIPAA requirements. Patients can also ask questions online about insurance coverage, and translate information on the site into Spanish.

Located in Florence, Alabama, OB/GYN Associates of Northwest Alabama first opened its doors in 1954. The main facility and a satellite office in Sheffield, Alabama, have nine physicians, 70 staff members including an NP and patient care coordinator, and 60,000 active patient files. Physicians see 30 to 40 patients per day, and deliver 60 to 80 babies per month. Since going live with an EMR by Misys Healthcare Systems in 1999, OB/GYN Associates of Northwest Alabama has cut nursing overtime expenses by 75 percent, increased its patient panel by approximately 20 percent, and saved upwards of $150,000 in staffing costs and tens of thousands in chart pulls.

Creating a pleasant atmosphere for employees is also important to the practice. “Every year we try to have a picnic at one of the physician’s farms for employees and their families, with a barbecue and a hay ride. It’s hard with this many people on staff, but we try to keep it as close to a family atmosphere as we can,” says executive director Charlie Lathram.

OB/GYN Associates of Northwest Alabama will receive a customized Brother Office Suite Prize Package from Brother International Corporation, valued at approximately $15,000. The award will include onsite evaluation of practice needs, equipment demonstrations, a suite of Brother products selected by the winning practice, and installation by Brother engineers. The group will also be featured in the cover story of the November/December 2005 issue of Physicians Practice. Runner-up practices include:

* The Thyroid Surgery Center of Texas, P.A., Lakeway, Texas
* Roswell Pediatric Center, P.C., Alpharetta, Georgia
* River Rose Obstetrics & Gynecology, Athens, Ohio
* Southeast Texas Medical Associates (SETMA), Beaumont, Texas

About Practice of the Year
The Practice of the Year contest was launched in 2002 by Physicians Practice to recognize practice excellence, and to offer groups around the country a model for efficiency and practice management innovation.

About Physicians Practice
Physicians Practice creates content to help physicians strengthen their practice operations through its award-winning journal, Physicians Practice®, America's Leading Practice Management Journal, popular Website, audioconferences, newsletters, satellite television programs, and live seminars. Physicians Practice is published by Med-IQ, a leading, innovative healthcare media and education company. Visit www.PhysiciansPractice.com for additional information about its highly acclaimed educational solutions.

For More Information, Contact:
LaWanda Stone Abernathy
Assistant Director, Marketing and Public Relations
(443) 543-5144
labernathy@physicianspractice.com

Catherine Bretz Mullaney, MHA
Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Development
(443) 543-5154
cbretz@physicianspractice.com