FYI MMR sent this out to shareholders yesterday. It concerns some questions and issues some shareholders had about the HealthTrio patent debate. Thought it was worth a good read.
Emails Regarding MMRGlobal and HealthTrio and an update on Surgery Center Management
The Company has continued to receive emails to Investor Relations requesting information about the recent HealthTrio Lawsuit against Aetna as well as an update on Surgery Center Management.
This email is written in response to your previous inquiries in an attempt to further clarify the Company’s feelings about HealthTrio in response to emails received over the last several days.
Patents are designed to grant rights to exclude others from selling a patented product or service. However, any product or service may infringe on more than one patent.
For example, there are a number of patents directed to the hardware, software and applications on a cell phone as evidenced by recent judgments against RIM, Apple and Samsung. Clearly one product or service can infringe multiple patents with each of them having significant value. This is also true in the health information industry.
As regards HealthTrio, at this time all we can say is that every patent in the Healthtrio suit was filed after MMR’s original filing date 9/12/2005. To the extent that any Healthtrio patent is afforded priority to any subject matter prior to MMR’s original filing date, the U.S. Patent Office considered the HealthTrio patent U.S. Patent No. 7,720,691 from which the other Healthtrio patents claim priority, before granting MMR’s most recent patents.
Additionally the Healthtrio patents are generally directed to managing payments made by an insurance provider, such as Aetna, for claims made by patients. They provide a method for creating a health record for a payor (an insurance provider) relating to the patient’s treatment, managing claims to the insurance provider and storing payment history.
Please be assured MMR is reviewing numerous products and services and is actively pursuing potential infringers of MMR’s patents. To reveal further information regarding those efforts would be inappropriate at this time and not in the best interests of MMR and its shareholders. MMR still believes that the lawsuit by Healthtrio will only serve to help educate the industry in a way that will benefit MMR.
As regards the Company’s 30 million dollar agreement with Surgery Center Management yesterday December 17th the court ordered that SCM and MMR to complete its agreed upon mediation with MMR by February 4th, 2013 when the results will be reported to the court. The mediation is now scheduled for January 10th,
MMR is pleased that this matter is moving forward and we anticipate making significant progress early in the year.
AI
