News

Sequest Technologies News - August, 2007

Sequest Technologies hosts Eighth Annual User’s Conference, October 16-18, 2007

Sequest Technologies is proud to announce its Eighth Annual User’s Conference, “Come Explore on a Three Day Tour”. This year the conference will be held at a new Double Tree location in Oak Brook, IL on October 16-18th. This new location offers more amenities and surrounding events. Sequest will offer a training day, which will be held on Monday, October 15th. The conference dates are October 16-18th. Be on the look out for the invitation with more details. A full conference agenda will be sent out at the end of August.

Also, make sure you visit www.sequest.net, click on News & Events, to find out more information regarding the User’s Conference and other exciting news going on at Sequest.

The Double Tree hotel is just 18 miles from the Chicago Loop. There are other exciting events that surround Oak Brook including: Oak Brook Shopping Center, Brookfield Zoo, Oak Brook Polo Grounds and Golf courses, to name a few.

Letter from the President: User’s Conference history and where it’s headed

It’s that time of year when Sequest shifts into overdrive - National User’s Conference Preparation. We are all asked to think of subjects that will educate, interest and most of all entertain our client partners. As we look forward to October 16, 2007, I cannot help but look back at our past conferences.

Our first User’s Conference was in 2000. At that time my decision to create a forum where clients gathered to discuss product and services was not entirely welcomed. Many of our long time clients such as Dennis Prody, Joe Monastra and Ann Curnutt will remember that year was one of extensive change at Sequest and the TIER® application. The events of my first year at Sequest and many long days working with Shelly Casale and the development of a Client Services Division led us to appropriately name the conference “Getting TIER® off the Shelf.” While TIER® had been a powerful design tool that allowed rapid application development; we realized that we needed to deliver an application that met the needs of most inpatient/ outpatient facilities while not losing the flexibility and customizability of TIER®. In doing so we  ccomplished our conference motto of “Getting TIER® off the Shelf.” That first conference and the meetings/discussions we had with its attendees became the impetus for our TIER® Workflow System as well as the services line we offer today.

Since then, many exciting times have been shared with our partners during our conferences. It’s hard to re-create them in one sitting. One of my earliest memories was the debut of our Billing Module. It was scheduled to be a session with everyone attending. We worked feverishly on prettying it up and adding some bells and whistles. However, thirty minutes before the unveiling in front of 50prospective buyers the development team informed me that they failed to test the
server outside of our office domain; in effect they could not get the conference network running. Let’s just say we had a brief discussion and forty minutes later I provided the first formal demo of the TIER® Billing module. That day I realized how truly gifted my colleagues were and all it took to unwrap their talent was some motivating words by me and that very well known glare I tend to lovingly use from time to time.

The magic of the TIER® conference allows for many such miracles to happen. Our ability to be well prepared was not entirely perfected at those conferences. We had people shuttling back and forth between hotel and the printers to complete handouts between conference sessions. There was the time we had developed an entire design manual. When read by some of the senior staff it was found to be an inferior product. It had to be rewritten and the conference was just three weeks away. There have been many long hours and stressful moments since that first conference. They have all been guided by our motivation to develop a true partnership with our clients. The comical skits and client showcases have become a celebration of what you have done with our product. There have been over 20 client demonstrations ranging from Ali G impersonator, Barry Goldman from Hanley Center (see below picture); to a representative from the Milwaukee Sherriff’s Department demonstrating the TIER® Correctional Workflow to ABVI demonstrating the use of TIER® by a blind end user. Several years ago a new partner was awed by what he called the most unusual client/vendor conference he had attended in 30 years. He continued to describe an event where the common ownership of TIER® designs promoted a forum where one could not distinguish between who was the client and who was the vendor. The partnerships have come to expand out of the IT arena to now include many clinical staff, quality management staff and this year, executive staff. One of this year’s goals is to effectively promote the first conference with a true executive track. My initial planning session took place in San Antonio, Texas. I met with the CEOs of four TIER® partner organizations. With them I discussed my desire to build a forum to support their needs related to technology, information management and a time for us to enhance our partnership. Their response was very positive. We have discussed this track for several years and this year we are building the content with the hope they will come!!

The National TIER® User’s Conference is an event that has become my favorite time of year. It allows us to foster a solid and lasting relationship with all of our clients. The conference is a time to build a stronger partnership and has become the impetus for many additional benefits found within the TIER® application. The ability of our product to be customized by you has led the application to go in so many interesting and new directions. These directions shared at the conference spark so many others to deliver software solutions. Thus, the product continues to grow, adapt and deliver solutions to the business needs of our partners. It is an event I strongly encourage you to attend; once you do it will become an annual trip to Chicago!

Sincerely,
William R. Connors, MSW
President/CEO

NAATP & Sequest present: Demystifying Electronic Health Records

“Demystifying the EHR” is one of four workshops designed to offer C-Level executives a comprehensive overview of electronic health records (EHR) as they relate to the addiction industry. Technical, financial, legal, policy and clinical issues were presented. The second meeting was held at Gateway in Pittsburg, PA. The events facilitators were Ron Hunsicker, National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) CEO, and Bill Connors, Sequest Technologies CEO.

The day included a presentation by Bill Connors on the federal initiatives governing data standards and also the federal pressures to move towards an electronic health record (EHR). The major focus of the day was a case study of a successful install by Marworth Treatment Center. Jim Dougherty, VP of Marworth was joined by Marworth team members, Gail Franko
(finance), Dominic Vangarelli (clinical), and Robert Fernandez (IT). The Marworth Team discussed their training of end users, design of the TIER® system and the overall impact to Marworth from their software implementation. Marworth Treatment Center is part of Geisinger Health System. They have a 91 bed inpatient facility. They have been using EHR’s since 2003 and using Sequest Technologies TIER®, their current software, since 2006.

The next NAATP will be held in September. The exact date is to be determined. Please contact Cristina Prince at cprince@sequest.net for more information.

The “Prince” experience at the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers

(NAATP) Conference By: Cristina Prince

Sequest Technologies was an exhibitor participant for the NAATP Conference held in Coronado, CA at the Loews Coronado Resort and Spa. I am new to Sequest Technologies sales and marketing team. This was my first experience at a conference. I would like to briefly take you through my journey and experiences throughout the weekend of events at the conference.

Saturday, May 19th the conference weekend started off with a golf outing at the beautiful Rancho Bernardo golf course. Sequest sponsored the first hole and gave away sleeves of golf balls. It was a great way to finally meet our clients that I have only heard the names of and also to get introduced to new people.

After the golf outing ended, we went back to the hotel to set up our beach motif booth. We had inflatable beach balls, ducks, hippos and rafts and music blasting by the Beach Boys. The theme went along nicely with the location of the conference.

Saturday evening was the opening reception for the conference. All the exhibitors were invited to take a tour of the exhibit hall for the first time before the conference officially opened on Sunday.

Sunday, May 20th was the official open of the conference. I walked around to visit other exhibitors, some of which were our clients. After the conference ended, it was time for Sequest to begin our presentation “Software Solutions by The Sea”.

Our presentation was held in the Loews Coronado hotel. We had an ice cream station and coffee bar set up for the attendees to enjoy before and during the presentation. Bill Connors, Sequest’s CEO, led the presentation. Our beach motif theme continued throughout our presentation. Each of us (Sequest employee’s) wore lifeguard shirts and even had whistles.

A few of our clients, Marworth, Pavillon, and Father Martin’s Ashley spoke at our presentation. They told their stories on how well the software has not only impacted their lives but their staff’s lives as well.

Sunday evening was the NAATP Board Reception. Here we enjoyed relaxing discussions amongst each other and great food. There was also entertainment from 60’s singer, Judy Collins. Ms. Collins spoke during the dinner about her father’s alcoholism and also about her own. She discussed her treatment and how she got through it. She told jokes and sang some songs from her “back in the day” days. She really touched a lot of people in that room, including myself. That was a night to remember.

Monday, May 21st was the last day of the conference for me. I had to catch an early flight back to Chicago on Tuesday morning. The last day of the conference was very laid back and not as crowded as Sunday. There were a lot of people who stopped by the booth and were interested in the software. I got to hear Joe Kocsis and Brooks Cagle, our sales team, give mini demos on our product. My overall experiences were very enlightening. I learned a lot more about our software and the value it holds with our clients. I also met a lot of very nice people and understand why they are our clients
and friends.

I hope you enjoyed my journey through the eventful weekend I had at the NAATP conference. I am hoping to attend more  nferences in the future and also get to know our software product to it’s

Sequest Technologies presents “Software Solutions by The Sea”

Sequest Technologies and several client partners presented at this year’s 2007 National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) conference. “Software Solutions by the Sea” provided attendees with a general sense of what successful installations should entail. The powerful and informative presentation demonstrated the extensively customizable software that has become a leading product among addiction treatment providers.

Partners of Sequest; Father Martin’s Ashley, Marworth, and Pavillon gave short presentations on their implementation process, their unique needs for the software as well as the positive changes the software solution has brought to their organization. “Sequest recognizes that each organization’s business needs vary, and total flexibility is inherent in the system. Customzation” commented Randal Sather, System Administrator for Pavillon “We recently had a JCAHO survey and two state surveys and all the surveyors found the TIER® system extremely easy to navigate and audit” said Jim Dougherty, VP Marworth.

Now Featuring: Sequest Support Sessions

Sequest in the movies? Well, not exactly. While you may not be able to pay $10 to see TIER® on the big screen, we’re doing something even better. We’re bringing TIER® to a computer screen near you FREE of charge!

Sequest Support Sessions are “how to” movies showing users how to achieve a variety of TIER® tasks. From restoring a database to using specific form design controls, our team shows you how with these informative sessions.

These sessions can be downloaded off of the sequestuser.net website and viewed in your own spare time. Best of all, they are offered free of charge to those with support contract agreements. Get your popcorn ready and download a session that suits you.

New clients corner

Harmony Foundation-

As of May 16, 2007, Sequest Technologies is excited to announce its newest partnership with Harmony Foundation and welcomes them to the TIER® user population.

Harmony Foundation is a private, non-profit corporation specializing in the treatment of chemical dependency.
Their non-hospital detoxification and 28-day intensive residential treatment programs are accredited by
CARF and licensed by the State of Colorado.

Shawn Manis, a Sequest Consultant, was on-site with Harmony for their initial implementation. While there, he was privileged enough to experience Harmony’s excellent methods for addiction treatment. He witnessed a powerful tradition of watching the clients declare their hope and efforts towards reaching sobriety. The process was moving and showed how strong the client can be when truly ready to commit to bettering their mental and physical health. Please visit Harmony’s website http://www.harmonyfoundationinc.com for more information.

Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange County, NYAnother

client that joined the TIER® user population is Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange County, NY. Orange County is not only known for its popular Discovery Channel hit TV show, Orange County Choppers, it’s now known for Sequest Technologies TIER® software program. This shows that Sequest serves clients all over the map.

Catholic Charities offers service to those of all religions with almost any human need. Catholic Charities serves the homeless, the hungry, the physically, mentally and emotionally challenged. We offer programs for youth, neglected children, the elderly, immigrants, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Catholic Charities collaborates with parishes and non-Catholic and Catholic partners in order to fulfill its commitment to building a compassionate and just society.
For more information on CCNY please visit their website

http://www.catholiccharitiesny.org/index.cfm?PageToShow=about_us.cfm

Sequest weighs in on Biggest Loser Contest

The Biggest Loser…Winner!
Congratulations to Gayathri Raghavan for being the biggest loser. Gayathri lost a total of 15 pounds as of 5/11/07 (the contest’s end). As of July 9th Gayathri has lost an additional 5 lbs. Way to go Gayathri; keep up the good work! The contest also stated the Loser, who was actually not a loser because he stayed the same weight throughout the contest, Bill Connors, would have to buy the winner and the other contestants lunch. Lunch would be picked by the runner up who was Satya Pothamsetti. Satya followed close behind Gayathri losing a total of 11lbs. Satya’s restaurant of choice is Mongolian Barbeque located in the heart of downtown Naperville, IL. Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to you all. You are all winners in this contest.

Client News — Where were you when you hit a Million?

Riverbend Community Mental Health is a community-based non -profit agency that serves Merrimack County and surrounding
communities. Riverbend provides a full range of quality outpatient and residential services for individuals, families, and businesses.

Riverbend offers a broad array of home and community based services, always prioritizing those who are most in need. They are proud of their commitment to promoting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and the many partnerships that they have developed in serving children, adolescents, elders, and their families. Riverbend purchased Sequest Technologies’ TIER® software in May 2000, and on Sunday 6/24/07 at 5:43pm something exciting happened. The One Millionth TIER® document at Riverbend was created! This came 6 years and 3 months after the very first document was entered. A big congratulations to Rick Axtman, who entered the one millionth document, – an ES Contact! There were a couple of near misses, with document numbers 999,999 and 1,000,001 by Meleah Ross (ES) and Desiree Doucette (Twitchell) respectively.

In other exciting Riverbend news, the active staff member who has created the most TIER® documents is Jude Turner
(RCA) with 11,408. Lynda Lamarre-Vincent (ChIP) at 10,562, and Sheryl Reasoner (Pillar) at 10,178 weren’t far behind.
It turns out Riverbend has 20 active staff members who have final saved 100% of their TIER® documents! Of those,
the person who has the most documents, all final-saved, is Deborah Hopkins (Twitchell) at 3,228. Bob Murray (Pillar) came awfully close to the top, having final saved 3,203 out of 3,204 documents!

In the pictures below, Agnes Miner presents certificates and prizes donated by Sequest Technologies, Inc. The bottom left picture (from left to right) shows winners Jude Turner and Rick Axtman with Agnes and Karl Boisvert. In the bottom
right picture, Agnes and winner Deborah Hopkins look at Deb’s certificate on the stairs at Twitchell.

Congratulations – and on to the next million!!

Welcome to Sequest Technologies, Inc.

Prior to joining Sequest, Mark Steward was employed as Product Manager for a small EMR vendor to the primary care industry. In total, he has over 10 years of experience in the health care marketplace and over 20 years of sales, marketing, project management, implementation and training experience.

Mark received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He is married and resides in Mundelein, IL.

Prior to joining the Sequest Technologies team, Anu Rao has worked as a Software Professional at Bank One, Lucent Technologies and The City of Chicago Water Department.

She has over 13 years of experience in various programming languages, databases and software packages including C, C++,
C#, VB, .NET, MS Access and SQL Server. She has extensive experience in the design, implementation, testing and maintenance of Software Applications. Anu has a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India and attended University of Illinois at Chicago for Masters in Computer Science.