Verichip's Implanted Mircochip tracking network expands
Pastor Dale Morgan
VeriChip Corporation's VeriMed Patient Identification System Now Has 140
Hospitals and Approximately 300 Physicians as Part of Its Network
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September 7, 8:00 am ET
DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 7, 2006--VeriChip Corporation:
VeriChip Trains Nearly 400 FEMA Employees on Its VeriTrace
Emergency Management/Disaster Recovery Application
VeriChip Corporation, a subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions (NASDAQ:
ADSX - News), announced today that its Implantable Division, consisting
of the patient ID and personal health information system called
"VeriMed", the security application called "VeriGuard", and the
emergency management system called "VeriTrace" achieved important
milestones. VeriMed, the first and only FDA-approved microchip for
patient identification and access to medical information has advanced
adoption in key areas of hospital and physician acceptance.
Since early August, 26 new healthcare facilities have agreed to adopt
the VeriMed system. This brings the total to approximately 140 emergency
departments, of which 36 - located in seven states and Washington, D.C.
- have fully implemented the technology and will use the VeriMed reader
as standard protocol to scan patients that present unconscious,
delirious or confused. The Company continues to provide readers to
hospitals at no charge as part of its efforts to "seed" the
infrastructure for the VeriMed patient identification system.
The expansion of the VeriMed physician network has increased nearly
six-fold in 2006, indicating increasing acceptance of VeriMed by primary
care and specialty physicians.
"We are optimistic that we will see a significant increase in the number
of physicians in our physician network as we enhance our efforts to
educate physicians about the benefits of VeriMed through participation
in several large medical conferences scheduled over the next few
months," stated Kevin McLaughlin, CEO of VeriChip Corporation. "We are
further encouraged that our clinical study program with Blue Cross Blue
Shield of New Jersey, which commences in September, will lead to
increased adoption by physicians and health insurers."
VeriChip's VeriTrace application is designed to assist state and federal
agencies to plan for and manage emergency situations and disaster
recovery using implantable RFID technology. VeriChip has now trained
nearly 400 FEMA employees on this technology including the Disaster
Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT) involved in the recovery
efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and responsible for
Weapons of Mass Destruction recovery efforts. VeriChip continues to work
with federal and state agencies on full implementation of this technology.
About VeriChip Corporation
VeriChip Corporation, headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, develops,
markets and sells radio frequency identification, or RFID, systems used
to identify, locate and protect people and assets. VeriChip's goal is to
become the leading provider of RFID systems for people in the healthcare
industry. VeriChip sells passive RFID systems for identification
purposes and active RFID systems for local-area location and
identification purposes. VeriChip recently began to market its
VeriMed(TM) Patient Identification System which is used to rapidly and
accurately identify people who arrive in an emergency room and are
unable to communicate. This system uses the first human-implantable
passive RFID microchip, the implantable VeriChip(TM), cleared for
medical use in October 2004 by the United States Food and Drug
Administration. For more information on VeriChip, please call
1-800-970-2447, or email in...@verichipcorp.com. Additional information
can be found online at www.verichipcorp.com.
About Applied Digital - "The Power of Identification Technology"
Applied Digital develops innovative identification and security products
for consumer, commercial, and government sectors worldwide. The
Company's unique and often proprietary products provide identification
and security systems for people, animals, the food supply,
government/military arena, and commercial assets. Included in this
diversified product line are RFID applications, end-to-end food safety
systems, GPS/Satellite communications, and telecomm and security
infrastructure, positioning Applied Digital as the leader in
identification technology. Applied Digital is the owner of a majority
position in Digital Angel Corporation (AMEX:DOC - News).
Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future
revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release
other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the
Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time,
and the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected
results. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking
statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.