OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(MARKET WIRE)--Aug 19, 2008 -- Delegates at the Canadian Medical Association's 141st Annual General Council will get a sneak-peak at the latest web-based innovation in Canadian health care: a new online social networking community called Asklepios that makes it easier for physicians from coast-to-coast to connect, share best practices, and learn from each other.

Designed and developed by the CMA exclusively for Canadian doctors, Asklepios functions as a secure physician community facilitating contact between experts and peers alike, irrespective of geographic location or practice specialty.

"Asklepios is an online doctors' community," said Dr. Brian Day, President of the CMA. "It helps connect physicians with their colleagues across the country, facilitates the sharing of best practices, and fosters a deeper sense of professional affiliation."

The Asklepios online community is only open to Canadian physicians, residents and medical students and is securely hosted in Canada where data is protected. Asklepios uses the same authentication procedures as www.cma.ca, so unlike traditional forms of online communication, physicians can trust the security and privacy of information posted on Asklepios and be confident that the people they're communicating with are Canadian physicians, validated by the CMA.

"Asklepios will be an invaluable tool for my practice, providing me access to the larger physician community including a variety of specialists from across the country who are able to share the latest cutting edge information," said Lee Donohue, a physician from Ottawa and one of 135 physicians across Canada involved in the pilot testing of the network. "By drawing on the expertise of the wider community, Asklepios will help me improve the quality of care I am able to offer patients, particularly those living with chronic illnesses."

Asklepios is bilingual, easy to use with a simple and intuitive interface, offering physicians a personalized profile page and access to groups and discussions, and live chat. Other applications will be rolled-out on an ongoing basis, drawing from the experience and feedback of physicians using it.

Named after the Greek god of medicine and healing, Asklepios is the latest innovative web-based solution designed by the CMA to improve physicians' practices, following the release of the www.mydoctor.ca Health Portal in April.

About CMA

The Canadian Medical Association is a national, voluntary association that represents over 67,000 physicians across the country. The CMA advocates on behalf of its members and their patients for access to high quality health care. It also provides leadership and guidance to physicians.

About Practice Solutions

Practice Solutions, is the leading provider of end-to-end technology and practice management solutions for Canadian physicians, which includes its popular PS Suite(TM) software bundle that manages billing, scheduling and electronic medical records for a physician's practice. We are also experts in consulting services, educational seminars, billing services, lease financing, web portals for physicians, such as www.cma.ca and the www.mydoctor.ca health portal, and the publisher of physician and patient-oriented magazines. Practice Solutions is headquartered in Ottawa and employs more than 160 professionals across the country.

     Contacts:
     Cohn & Wolfe
     Martha Linton
     416-924-5700, ext. 4048
      
     Cohn & Wolfe
     Alexis Beamer
     416-924-5700, ext. 4031
      
     Canadian Medical Association
     Lucie Boileau
     613-447-0866