Software deal opens new markets for CSI

Sparks-based Computerized Screening Inc.

thinks a new partnership it developed with a software company will strengthen its position in assisted living facilities around the country.

The partnership announced last week combines CSI's health-monitoring stations with software developed by ViTel Net of McLean, Va.

The two companies said information collected by CSI's freestanding monitoring stations now can be delivered directly to physicians using ViTel Net software.

CSI, which got its start developing the blood-pressure kiosks found in pharmacies and supermarkets, these days puts a lot of its effort into a souped-version it calls the Health Station.

That Web-based system allows consumers to check their pulse, weight and blood pressure, create personal medical profiles that can be accessed by their doctors and consult on-line reference materials.

Privately held CSI has about 1,000 Health Stations installed around the nation.

That number is likely to grow as CSI and ViTel Net believe their combined systems will be especially attractive in assisted living environments, said Bob Sullivan, executive vice president of CSI.

Use of the system, Sullivan said, will allow physicians to remotely monitor patients' conditions.

That reduces the need for medical professionals to collect basic information about vital signs, and it allows physicians to keep an eye on patients without the need for either of them to travel, Sullivan said.

Said Ken Lucas, a vice president of ViTel Net, "There is a continually growing trend of utilizing telehealth to reduce strain on intake clinics."

CSI's founder and chief executive officer, Charles Bluth, said another goal of the partnership is the rapid identification and control of disease outbreaks.

Along with its strength in the assisted- living market, ViTel Net also has developed markets in the federal government.

Sullivan said that opens the door for use of CSI Health Stations in locations such as Veterans Administration clinics.

"Between those two markets assisted living and the government there is a tremendous potential," Sullivan said.

CSI also continues to develop nontraditional markets for its Health Stations.

It's located them in health clubs, for example, and workplaces where large numbers of employees want to track their own health.