SAN DIEGO, CA -- 09/22/08 --
The following is a statement and advisory
from Medsphere Systems Corporation:
WHAT:
U.S. Representative Pete Stark (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Ways and
Means Health Subcommittee, introduced legislation that establishes federal
standards and deadlines for a national, interoperable electronic health
records (EHRs) network and promotes open source healthcare IT as the best
choice for many hospitals and healthcare providers struggling to afford the
costs associated with going paperless.
Congressman Stark's bill, the Health-e Information Technology Act of 2008,
establishes a leadership position for the federal government in the
national advancement of healthcare IT. The bill would require the federal
government to develop standards for an interoperable health IT system and
create an Open Source electronic health solution available to all
healthcare providers at little or no cost.
"If we want a uniform, interoperable healthcare system in America, time has
shown us that we can't depend on the private sector to do it on their own,"
said Congressman Stark in a press release issued by his office.
A national study recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine
reported that of 2,700 practicing physicians in the U.S., a paltry four
percent had a "fully functional" EHR system enabling them to view
laboratory data, order prescriptions and help in clinical decision making.
Most hospital administrators and physicians cite the high cost of
purchasing EHR systems and equipment as a significant barrier to EHR
adoption.
Representatives of the Federation of American Hospitals, the American
Medical Association, and the Health Privacy Project for the Center for
Democracy & Technology endorse Congressman Stark's legislation.
WHO:
Michael J. Doyle, president and CEO, and Rick Jung, chief operating
officer, Medsphere Systems Corporation, the foremost provider of Open
Source healthcare information technology.
"We commend Congressman Stark for his leadership and creation of the
Health-e Information Technology Act," said Mike Doyle. "Representative
Stark understands that cost and interoperability barriers imposed by
proprietary vendors have prevented most healthcare providers from adopting
health IT systems, and he knows that Americans cannot afford to wait any
longer. We look forward to supporting healthcare providers as they improve
patient care with secure, interoperable health IT environments."
"Medsphere has more experience in Open Source healthcare IT than any other
company in the industry," said Rick Jung, COO of Medsphere. "As provider of
the only commercialized version of the VA's proven VistA Open Source EHR,
called OpenVista, we are working with an ecosystem of stakeholders to make
Open Source healthcare IT a viable option for the private sector and put it
to work for the betterment of all taxpayers. The Health-e Information
Technology Act of 2008 lays the groundwork for universal adoption of
OpenVista in the U.S. and we look forward to helping make the bill's goals
a reality."
Medsphere revolutionizes the health IT industry by delivering commercially
supported software based on the VA's proven VistA EHR and incorporating an
Open Source technology stack that facilitates interoperability and
effective health data exchange. Representative Stark has been a vocal
advocate for retaining VistA and applying it to both public and private
sector healthcare concerns, even while the VA and Department of Defense
mull over alternative systems and configurations that would dismantle the
venerable and proven IT system. Medsphere's OpenVista is now in use at more
than a dozen healthcare organizations and enables hospital facilities to
reduce operating costs and improve patient care more rapidly and
inexpensively than other approaches. On October 2, Medsphere will host the
Collaborative Healthcare Forum, a summit focusing on the benefits of EHRs,
Open Source technology and improvements in patient care.
For further information contact:
Marisa Borgasano or Lily Eng
Schwartz Communications for Medsphere
415-512-0770
medsphere@schwartz-pr.com
