SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 12, 2005 -- Over the past several years, mobile technology has helped transform the medical profession. Today, more than 50 percent of practicing physicians rely on mobile technology to quickly access clinical information. In addition, a growing number of medical schools are requiring that their students use PDAs (personal digital assistants), and in many schools where there are no requirements, nearly 70 percent of students are already using mobile devices.

In response to this growing trend, Epocrates, Inc., is announcing the creation of a consortium of elite medical institutions. The Epocrates University Consortium is a group of nine of the foremost medical schools in the United States, including Harvard, Baylor College of Medicine, and Duke University Medical Center, that are committed to furthering the use of mobile technology in medical education to help better prepare students for the challenges ahead.

"One of the frontiers in medical education lies in the adoption of mobile technologies that connect people and enhance learning. The Consortium helps meet the need for medical educators to remain on the forefront of technological innovation and network with other schools to learn about their approaches to mobile learning," said Michael Feldman, MD, PhD, assistant professor and assistant dean for IT, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Consortium members -- assembled based on school ranking and technological innovation -- will meet throughout the year to discuss various topics, including the benefits and challenges associated with technology in medicine and the integration of mobile technology into medical education curricula to meet the needs of the changing learning environment.

"We are proud to be working with this unprecedented group of institutions to expand the resources available to students and to offer products that will help future physicians reduce medical errors and improve quality of care," said Kirk Loevner, Epocrates chairman and chief executive officer.

Students at the Consortium schools will join more than 31,000 other students and thousands of educators that currently rely on Epocrates clinical solutions for the most current drug, disease, and diagnostic information. Schools will distribute Epocrates premium product and incorporate it into students' medical technology training. In addition, Epocrates will work with select institutions to include mobile technology in their curricula.

"Epocrates has been a vital educational tool for me and my peers throughout medical school and now in residency. It helps us digest, retain and apply the critical information that we learn in the classroom so we are better prepared and informed when caring for patients," said Ryan Burton, MD, University of Washington School of Medicine.

With more medical students going mobile, Epocrates is committed to working with medical educators to provide the most trusted and up-to-date clinical information via mobile technology. The Consortium's activities will continue to fuel the growth of mobile technology within the medical profession and help improve quality of care, reduce medical errors and increase efficiency within the healthcare system.

ABOUT EPOCRATES UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM

The Epocrates University Consortium members include nine of the leading U.S. medical schools. The Consortium will be a forum for members to discuss the use and impact of mobile technology in medical education. Consortium members include; Baylor College of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine.

ABOUT EPOCRATES, INC.

San Mateo, CA-based Epocrates is transforming the practice of medicine by providing innovative clinical solutions at the point of care and deploying leading-edge technologies that enable communication. The company has built a clinical network connecting more than one in four U.S. physicians, students at every U.S. medical school and hundreds of thousands of other allied healthcare professionals with other healthcare stakeholders. Epocrates' products have shown a positive impact on patient safety, health care efficiency and patient satisfaction. For more information, please visit http://www.epocrates.com.