First Consulting Group (FCG) Executes FirstGateways LOI with the Health Information Xchange of New York (HIXNY)

First Consulting Group (FCG), (NASDAQ:FCGI), announced today ithas signed a Letter of Intent with the Health Information Xchange ofNew York (HIXNY) to deploy FCG's proven FirstGateways(TM) platform asthe foundation for building out the Albany market as one of New YorkState's announced Health Information Technology (HIT) regional healthcare networks.

The anticipated $1.5 million investment in technology and servicesby HIXNY is expected to provide the foundation for building electronichealth records among providers and patients, and is expected to reducemedical errors, prevent unnecessary testing, facilitate data sharingand ensure appropriate medical care is delivered to patients.

"We selected FirstGateways because FCG's product architecture forbuilding a regional and community-based health information exchange isthe best match for our region's needs," said Chris Baldwin,chairperson, board of directors, HIXNY. "We liked the fact thatFirstGateways is built on emerging national standards, and offersclinical interoperability and comprehensive ePrescribing capabilitieswhich will allow our clinicians and patients to make better informeddecisions about care."

HIXNY is part of New York's HIT initiative, which provides grantsto expand the use of technology in the state's health care system. Itis the first regional grant that has been announced to date. Fundingfor the grants was dedicated under the Health Care Efficiency andAffordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY), which was formed to helpadvance information technology and the health care system. HIXNY andFCG are currently in the process of finalizing planning and budgetingfor the purchase and implementation of FirstGateways, and a finalcontract is expected to be executed upon final approval and funding ofthe grant by HEAL NY.

"We are delighted to have an opportunity to work with HIXNY indeveloping the New York State HIT effort," said Joe Casper, SVP ofSoftware Products and FirstGateways product manager. "The HIXNYproject will build upon FCG's 3+ years of experience and success indeveloping community interoperability and health information exchangesolutions."

As announced earlier this year, FCG is working with NorthropGrumman Corporation in one of four consortia chosen by the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services to develop a prototype for anationwide health information network (NHIN) architecture. Theseconsortia are expected to set the standard for health care informationexchange in the United States and FCG is providing the FirstGatewaysclinical system along with its experience in Regional HealthInformation Organization (RHIO) development to the consortia. FCG alsoannounced earlier this year that it is working with UniversityHospitals Health System (UHHS) on the implementation of a newFirstGateways physician/patient record system to serve the Clevelandmarket and beyond.

About FirstGateways(TM)

The FirstGateways clinical information system is built upon apowerful and flexible enterprise architecture to support initiativesthat improve patient care and enable health caregivers to make betterdecisions by providing them with web-enabled, real-time access topatient data. The product is currently being deployed to serve a widevariety of enterprise, community, and regional data sharing andintegration initiatives.

FirstGateways offers a robust data integration engine withsophisticated security and privacy functionality that enables thecollection, aggregation, distribution and analysis of patient data -collected from various source systems - and displayed via aconsolidated portal view. FirstGateways serves as the foundation forimmediate and strategic information needs. The result is a VirtualElectronic Medical Record that integrates patient-specific data fromacross a healthcare provider's inpatient and outpatient environment.

About FCG

First Consulting Group (FCG) is a leading provider of outsourcing,consulting, systems implementation and integration for healthcare,pharmaceutical, and other life sciences organizations throughout NorthAmerica, Europe and Asia. Through combinations of onsite, off-site andoffshore resources, FCG provides low cost, high quality services toimprove its clients' performance. The firm's consulting andintegration services increase clients' operations effectiveness withinformation technology, resulting in reduced costs, improved customerservice, enhanced quality of patient care, and more rapid introductionof new pharmaceutical compounds. For more information about FCG, visitwww.fcg.com or call 800-345-0957.

About HIXNY

The Health Information Xchange of New York (HIXNY) was co-foundedin 1999 by the New York State Health Plan Association (HPA) andIroquois Healthcare Alliance (IHA) as a not-for-profit company seekingcollaborative solutions to health care problems through informationtechnology. In 2005, HIXNY restructured its board of directors andgovernance to commence the implementation of a successful clinicaldata exchange. HIXNY's board of directors includes chairman, ChrisBaldwin, Northeast Health; vice chairman, Sumeet Murarka, CommunityCare Physicians; treasurer, Gary Fitzgerald, Iroquois HealthcareAlliance; and secretary, Roberto Martinez, MD, CDPHP. HIXNY iscomprised of 20 stakeholders encompassing Capital Region hospitalsystems, provider groups, and health plans committed to the use ofhealth information technology and the exchange of clinical data. Formore information about HIXNY, please visit its Web site atwww.HIXNY.org.