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HEALTHeLINK™ Announces Agreements with Electronic Health Record Companies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2009
Contacts:
Earl Wells/Laura Taczak
e3communications
716-854-8182

Electronic health record companies agree to offer discount pricing for physician practices

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - HEALTHeLINK™, the Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, today announced that it has reached formal agreements with six electronic health record (EHR) companies in an effort to increase the adoption rate of the use of these technologies in local physician offices and other health care practices.  In order to help increase adoption rates, the companies have agreed to extend preferred community-based pricing for their products, technologies and services to HEALTHeLINK™ participants.

"These vendors were selected after a thorough vetting process to help our efforts to increase the adoption of EHR technologies among physician practices in Western New York," Daniel E. Porreca, executive director of HEALTHeLINK™ said.  "HEALTHeLINK™ will provide the platform to integrate these systems so that clinical information will be able to be exchanged from provider office to provider office."

The companies with products, all certified by the Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, are listed below:

• Allscripts, Chicago, IL
• eClinicalWorks, Westborough, MA
• McKesson Corporation [Practice Partner Software], Alpharetta, GA
• MedAppz LLC, Wichita, KS
• NextGen Healthcare Information Services, Horsham, PA
• Pulse Systems, Inc., Wichita, KS

HEALTHeLINK™ was awarded a grant under Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law (HEAL NY) Phase 5 in August 2008. The grant is to assist organizations in fulfilling objectives in the Statewide Health Information Network for New York's (SHIN-NY) Clinical Priorities.  These include creating an interoperable system so that electronic health records have connectivity to Medicaid; the creation of a health information exchange to share data related to public health matters; and, a system to develop quality reporting for various disease outcomes.

"Through HEAL 5, we have been able to broaden our reach to the Medicaid population as well as leverage our existing infrastructure and information flow for public health and quality outcomes while at the same time, promoting effective adoption of EHR systems among physician practices throughout Western New York," Porreca continued.
 
"We also are pleased that the companies have agreed to participate in the HEALTHeLINK™ Learning Lab, a facility that will allow physicians and representatives from physician practices to come and experience what these vendors have to offer, as well as witness the interoperability of their respective systems with our clinical information exchange," Porreca concluded.

About HEALTHeLINK™:

HEALTHeLINK™, the Western New York Clinical Information Exchange (WNYCIE), is a collaborative effort among various organizations to share clinical information in efficient and meaningful ways to improve the delivery of care, enhance clinical outcomes, and help control healthcare costs throughout the region. The not-for-profit organization and was established through funding from The Catholic Health System, Erie County Medical Center Corporation, HealthNow New York (BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York), Independent Health Association, Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Univera Healthcare and a $3.5 million HEAL 1 grant from New York State. HEALTHeLINK™ stakeholders also include a broad representation of healthcare professionals and organizations throughout the eight-county Western New York region such as the Buffalo Academy of Medicine (BAM), Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH), State University of New York at Buffalo and the WNY R-AHEC (Rural Area Health Education Center).

About Allscripts:

Allscripts uses innovation technology to bring health to healthcare. More than 150,000 physicians, 700 hospitals and nearly 7,000 post-acute and homecare organizations utilize Allscripts to improve the health of their patients and their bottom line.  The company's award-winning solutions include electronic health records, electronic prescribing, revenue cycle management, practice management, document management, medication services, hospital care management, emergency department information systems and homecare automation. To learn more, visit www.allscripts.com.

About eClinicalWorks:

eClinicalWorks is a privately held leader in the ambulatory clinical systems market. The company's unified electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management (PM) solutions are proven for every market segment: large practice groups, including Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative (MAeHC), Electronic Health Records of Rhode Island (EHRRI) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, as well as medium, small and solo practices regardless of specialty. The company enjoys high profitability with a five-year compounded growth rate of more than 100 percent year-to-year. With an established customer base of more than 25,000 providers across all 50 states, eClinicalWorks has been awarded multiple top industry honors including being named to the Inc. 500 in 2008 and 2007, and a top solution by TEPR for four consecutive years. Based in Westborough, Mass., eClinicalWorks has additional offices in New York City and Alpharetta, Ga. More information on eClinicalWorks can be found at www.eclinicalworks.com or by calling 866-888-MYCW.

About McKesson Corporation:

McKesson's Practice Partner is a fully integrated electronic health record and medical billing software designed for practices of all sizes and specialties. The software is backed by McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500.  McKesson is a healthcare services and healthcare information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson is the longest-operating company in healthcare today, marking its 175th anniversary last year.

About MedAppz. LLC:

MedAppz provides an affordable, integrated suite of Software developed exclusively for ambulatory care medical practice for scheduling, EHR and billing. Our Software improves the way you capture, manage, exchange and store patient information by automating the process. Our products are created by physicians who know your world and the challenges you face in the day-to-day operation of your medical practice.

About NextGen Healthcare Information Systems:

NextGen Healthcare provides integrated electronic health record (EHR) and practice management systems, connectivity solutions, and billing services for hospitals and ambulatory practices.

About Pulse Systems, Inc.:

Our mission is to develop, market, and support preeminent healthcare information systems that optimize workflow, eliminate redundant tasks, and support the administration of superior patient care with real-time decision support tools.