Medsphere Comments on Congressman Pete Stark Opening Door to Universal Adoption of Open Source Electronic Health Records

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - September 22, 2008) - 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.