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WHAT:
Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of Open Source healthcare IT solutions, announced full support for the health IT funding incorporated into the stimulus package legislation that was passed by Congress. The approved measure, which awaits President Obama's signature, opens the door for a national electronic health records (EHR) network built on standards for interoperability and affordability.

The health IT funding portion of the stimulus legislation builds on earlier measures such as Congressman Pete Stark's Health Information Technology for Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2008 that called for a national, interoperable network of electronic health records through Open Source standards:

Health IT adoption by U.S. medical facilities remains low (roughly 15 percent) largely because of the prohibitive cost associated with implementing an EHR. Many hospitals have avoided these barriers by implementing commercialized Open Source versions of the highly-acclaimed VistA system developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, for example, spent roughly $9 million to fully implement OpenVista, Medsphere's commercial Open Source version of VistA, at all state-owned healthcare facilities over five years. By comparison, West Virginia University Hospitals recently announced a $90 million contract for implementation of a proprietary EHR.

WHO:
Michael J. Doyle, president and CEO, and Rick Jung, chief operating officer, Medsphere Systems Corporation

"Given how long Americans have waited for real healthcare reform, the time has arrived for truly disruptive change that benefits all citizens," said Michael J. Doyle, Medsphere's president and CEO. "The stimulus plan enables healthcare providers to effectively use health IT in improving patient care and managing costs. It is also the first real effort to promote clinical transformation nationwide and Medsphere looks forward to the legislation having positive lasting impact."

About Medsphere Systems Corporation and OpenVista
As a disruptive force in healthcare information technology, Medsphere is revolutionizing the industry by delivering commercially supported Open Source software based on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' proven VistA EHR. The product of 20-plus years of development and more than $8 billion invested, VistA enabled the transformation of the VA into the nation's most efficient and clinically effective healthcare organization. Currently VistA contains roughly 2.1 billion clinical documents, 2.76 billion orders, and 1.51 billion images. As the commercialized version of VistA, Medsphere's OpenVista is a portfolio of products and professional services for hospitals, clinics and integrated delivery networks. OpenVista is currently used by over 20,000 individuals, including 2,500 physicians and contains hundreds of thousands of medical records. Medsphere addresses healthcare's capital constraints through an innovative business model:

Source: Medsphere Systems Corporation