Quality Solutions Inc. (QSI), the parent of NextGen, a leading ambulatory-care electronic health record vendor, has bought CQI Solutions, which makes surgical information systems, for an undisclosed sum. While QSI clearly is following the lead of other vendors by broadening into the hospital market, it still remains behind some of its competitors.
QSI's latest foray into the inpatient space follows its acquisitions of Sphere Health Systems in 2009 and Opus Healthcare Solutions in 2010. Sphere and Opus sell clinical and financial information systems to community hospitals, respectively.
CQI, based in Braunfels, Texas, has been in the hospital information system market for 15 years. QSI will sell CQI's patient scheduling and surgical information systems both independently and as part of NextGen's Inpatient Solutions suite.
CQI's products include not only hospital-wide patient scheduling, but also patient tracking boards, procedural costing and charge capture, surgical services management and electronic charting for surgeons. QSI and CQI previously worked together to provide joint solutions to clients.
"With the additional integration of our award-winning ambulatory solutions, our inpatient and ambulatory clients are now collecting critical data across the care continuum," Steve Puckett, executive vice president, inpatient solutions, for NextGen, noted in a press release. But it's unclear whether NextGen has the capability to exchange data in its inpatient and outpatient systems. That's a distinguishing characteristic of Allscripts and Epic, two of NextGen's rivals.
To learn more:
- read the announcement
- see the Health Data Management piece