Stock Market Symbols GIB.A (TSX) GIB (NYSE) FAIRFAX, VA, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CGI Group Inc. (NYSE: GIB; TSX: GIB.A) and CareSpark in Kingsport, Tennessee today announced an agreement to implement a health information exchange network to improve patient care across the Appalachian region of eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. CareSpark, a non-profit regional health information organization (RHIO), is constructing the first phase of their clinical information network, allowing the secure exchange of patient records between healthcare providers in their 17 county community. CGI has been selected as the lead systems integrator for much of the infrastructure and provider connections within the network. CGI will utilize interoperability standards endorsed by the Federal government's Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) organization. CGI is also teamed with CareSpark as the lead systems integrator to link CareSpark's regional health information network into the Health and Human Services (HHS) Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) Trial Implementation. "CGI has been a great asset in helping CareSpark stay current with rapidly changing industry practices, trends and standards," said Liesa Jenkins, Executive Director of CareSpark. "Using CGI to construct our local network and lead our national participation closely aligns both initiatives and ensures that an enduring product remains to benefit the community." "Working with CareSpark has been important to us, not just because they are innovators at the forefront of solving health issues, but because our own employees and their families live in the community," said Rob Robertson, Director of CGI's Healthcare Solutions Group, speaking of staff at CGI's software development center in Lebanon, Virginia. "CGI has partnered with CareSpark since the beginning of their IT build-out; we're proud to be part of the team building their vision." CGI provides expertise that accelerates transformation to electronic health records, facilitates secure health information exchange, automates administration for hospital providers, aligns IT investments with business requirements and manages these environments and the applications that sit within them. The company has served healthcare clients throughout Canada and the United States including more than 200 hospitals, 30 healthcare systems and more than 140,000 users as well as managed care organizations, private insurance companies and governments in North America including almost half of all government health departments in Canada. About CareSpark CareSpark is a non-profit organization serving a 17-county region of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, and is designed to improve health through the collaborative use of health information. Since its inception in 2005, CareSpark has partnered with local healthcare providers, purchasers, technology companies and policy-makers at federal and state levels to develop a sustainable system that supports patient care delivery, public health research and population health improvement. CareSpark participated in the first phase of work to develop a prototype Nationwide Health Information Network, demonstrating secure health information in January 2007 through a consortium led by Accenture. CareSpark has also been recognized by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence with the 2006 "Commitment to Quality" Award. About CGI Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is one of the largest independent information technology and business process services firms in the world. CGI and its affiliated companies employ approximately 26,000 professionals. CGI provides end-to-end IT and business process services to clients worldwide from offices in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific as well as from centers of excellence in North America, Europe and India. CGI's annual revenue run rate stands at CDN$3.7 billion and at June 30th, 2007, CGI's order backlog was CDN$12.4 billion. CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB) and are included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index as well as the S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology and MidCap Indices. Website: http://www.cgi.com/. DATASOURCE: CGI GROUP INC. CONTACT: Business Development: John George, Director, Healthcare Solutions Group, (703) 227-6107, ; Media: Linda Odorisio, Vice-President, US Communications, (703) 227-6161,

Copyright