Press releases

Release issued 26th August 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lawson scientist awarded Heart & Stroke Foundation grant for patient
portal project

Researchers will study the benefit of innovative online education and monitoring tools developed
by Lawson and MedManager for heart failure patients

LONDON, August 26, 2008 – One of Lawson Health Research Institute’s leading scientists has
received a grant from the Heart & Stroke Foundation to determine the impact of Internet-based
education and health management on people living with heart failure. Waterloo-based MedManager
Interactive Corp. will be the technology partner for the year-long initiative.

Heart failure patients enrolled in the study will have access to innovative video and text educational
materials, self-management tools, and healthcare professional support via an Internet-based portal.
Participants will be assessed throughout the study to determine the impact of the program on patient
knowledge of heart disease, medication compliance, and quality of life. Healthcare resource
utilization, such as emergency room visits, also will be analyzed by the research team.

The study is being led by Dr. Femida Gwadry-Sridhar, the Director of Health Informatics at Lawson
Health Research Institute, with collaboration from Dr. Malcolm Arnold, London Health Sciences
Centre, and Dr. Donald Cowan of the Computer Systems Group at University of Waterloo.

“Beyond evaluating the effectiveness of a web-based interactive model to promote patient self-
management, we hope that in the long term we improve patients’ quality of life and health outcomes,”
said Dr. Gwadry-Sridhar.

MedManager will create a customized version of its online chronic disease management program to
support participants. “MedManager has a strong history of working with the research community to
generate the tools and evidence needed to help improve chronic disease management in Canada. We
are very excited to collaborate with Dr. Gwadry-Sridhar and her Lawson colleagues,” noted Joe
Whitney, MedManager’s Vice-President, Marketing & Public Affairs.

Dr. Gwadry-Sridhar hopes to apply the results and feedback from the pilot project in a future, larger
study of Internet-based heart failure education and management.

According to Heart & Stroke Foundation statistics, there are 400,000 Canadians living with congestive
heart failure. The average annual mortality rate for congestive heart failure is 10 percent per year with
a 50 percent five-year survival rate.


About Lawson Health Research Institute

As the research institute for London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care, London,
and working in partnership with The University of Western Ontario, Lawson Health Research Institute
is committed to furthering scientific knowledge to advance health care around the world. It is one of
the largest hospital-based research institutes in Canada and attracts over $50 million in funding each
year. For more information please visit www.lawsonresearch.com.

About MedManager Interactive Corporation

MedManager is Canada’s leading provider of Internet-based chronic disease management solutions
and services. MedManager portals provide individuals and healthcare professionals with online access
to the educational, planning, monitoring, and communication tools needed to proactively and
interactively manage chronic disease. MedManager’s online diabetes and cardiac disease management
system is licensed as a Class II Medical Device by Health Canada and its quality system is certified to
the ISO 13485 standard for medical devices. For more information please visit www.MedManager.ca.


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For further information, please contact:

Julia Capaldi
Lawson Health Research Institute
Phone: 519-646-6100 Ext. 61098
Email: Julia.capaldi@lawsonresearch.com

Joe Whitney
MedManager Interactive Corp.
Phone: 519-747-2492 x229
Email: joe@medmanager.ca

2

(26th August 2008) New Hope for Heart Failure Patients

(19th August 2008) New reasons to avoid grapefruit and other juices when taking certain drugs

(16th June 2008) Research projects at Lawson benefit from Western Innovation Fund

(26th May 2008) When it comes to foot ulcers, prevention is a step in the right direction

(23rd May 2008) Recent grant swings translational ovarian cancer research program into high gear