Press Release

MINISTRY HEALTH CARE FIRST IN WISCONSIN TO ACQUIRE CONVERTIBLE ULTRASOUND™ SYSTEM FROM ZONARE

Saint Michael’s and Saint Clare’s Hospital to Offer Patients Revolutionary Zone Sonography™ Technology

Steven’s Point and Weston, Wisc. – September 20, 2005 – Saint Michael’s and Saint Clare’s Hospitals, part of the area’s leading Ministry Health Care network, announced both facilities have acquired the z.one ultrasound platform from ZONARE Medical Systems. The hospitals are the first in Wisconsin to offer patients the world’s only Convertible Ultrasound™ system which is based on revolutionary new Zone Sonography™ technology. The z.one ultrasound platform allows the clinician to instantly remove the scan engine and image a patient at the bedside, especially critical in crowded environments such as emergency departments.

“We are committed to providing breakthrough technology for our patients,” said Robert Tillotson, DO, Emergency Ultrasound Coordinator, Saint Michaels Hospital. “The z.one ultrasound system not only meets this goal, but it is a perfect fit for our busy emergency department environment. Now, with the touch of a button, we can convert the fully-featured, cart-based ultrasound system into a premium compact unit in order to get into crowded areas when urgent situations arise.”

Saint Michael's Hospital is a fully accredited, acute-care facility offering a comprehensive range of services to residents of Stevens Point and surrounding communities. More than 200 physicians serve on Saint Michael's Hospital medical staff. The emergency department provides treatment related to cardiac, respiratory, complex lacerations, orthopedic injuries, multiple trauma, substance abuse, mental health and abdominal pain. The department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with nine board-certified emergency medicine physicians and numerous on-call specialists on staff.

Saint Clare’s Hospital is slated to open its doors in October 2005. It will offer services similar to Saint Michael’s.

“Our new facility will offer area residents a full range of services and state-of-the-art technology,” said Stewart Watson, M.D, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Saint Clare’s Hospital. “We are excited about the z.one system and Zone Sonography technology. This cutting-edge unit will play an integral part in helping us to quickly make diagnoses and expedite treatment by eliminating the need to move the patient to the ultrasound system. Now we can easily take premium imaging capabilities right to their bedside when needed.”

Zone Sonography technology has allowed ZONARE Medical Systems to bring the first Convertible Ultrasound platform to the industry with premium compact image quality and unparalleled clinical versatility. Clinicians are able to convert the z.one platform from a full-featured cart-based system into a compact, portable system instantly with all the quality and performance of substantially larger and more expensive ultrasound units, yet, with significantly higher performance than conventional compact systems.

Combining a fundamentally new advance in ultrasound, Zone Sonography technology, coupled with the z.one platform’s radically new physical design, offers significant clinical and workflow solutions for a wide variety of customer needs. In addition, the platform’s unparalleled software architecture allows for fast convenient upgrades when new clinical and computer technology advances become available.

“The superb image quality and easily upgradeable architecture of the z.one system make this Convertible Ultrasound system a welcome addition for our imaging needs,” said Dr. Watson. “We look forward to providing our patients this unique new technology and offering the best health care possible.”

About Ministry Health Care

Ministry Health Care is a values-driven health care delivery network of aligned hospitals, clinics and other providers, based in Wisconsin and Minnesota. With over 12,000 employees including physicians and health professionals, Ministry also offers home health, hospice, long-term care facilities, dialysis services, a health plan and many other services. Ministry's 14 hospitals include Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, Saint Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point, Sacred Heart-Saint Mary's Hospitals in Tomahawk and Rhinelander, Door County Memorial Hospital in Sturgeon Bay, Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Stanley, Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh, Calumet Medical Center in Chilton, St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Flambeau Hospital in Park Falls, Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff, Eagle River Memorial Hospital in Eagle River, Good Samaritan Health Center in Merrill and Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. Saint Clare's Hospital in Weston, Wis., is scheduled to open in Fall 2005. For further information, visit www.ministryhealth.org.

About ZONARE Medical Systems

ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc. designs, develops, and manufactures premium compact performance ultrasound solutions, which combine revolutionary technology with an innovative physical design. Zone Sonography technology, ZONARE’s unique patented approach to ultrasound imaging, is focused on bringing the highest performance to all clinical settings, leading to advanced diagnostic capabilities, more cost effective operation and increased value to providers. For more information, please visit our web site at www.zonare.com

Media Contacts:

Tawnya Hefner
Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator
Ministry Health Care
(715) 346-5638 or cell: (715) 570-2735
hefnert@smhosp.org