Alexandria, VA - The American Medical Group Association (AMGA), the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and Perot Systems Corporation (NYSE: PER) today announced the formation of an alliance (Alliance) that will utilize the deep healthcare expertise of the three organizations to offer electronic health record (EHR)-related training and implementation services to newly established Health Information Technology (HIT) Regional Extension Centers (Extension Centers).
The Alliance will use the combined healthcare industry expertise, technology capabilities and market presence of each organization to offer a comprehensive suite of educational and technical services to organizations that are designated by The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an Extension Center. The services provided by the Alliance will better enable Extension Centers to immediately help a wide array of physicians and healthcare organizations prepare for EHR implementation and meaningful use requirements.
The HIT Regional Extension Program was created with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Once established, the Extension Centers will provide technical assistance and disseminate best practices regarding HIT implementation. HHS plans to establish up to 70 Extension Centers, with the target being the least-advantaged providers struggling with implementation and adoption, including public and critical access hospitals, Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers, rural providers and physician practices focused on primary care.
The Alliance will strive to help designated Extension Centers by offering a range of services, including:
- Physician and healthcare organization targeting and outreach
- Incentive program and EHR-product education and awareness
- EHR subscription-based solutions
- Remote hosting services
- Health Information Exchanges (HIE) services
- Remote Implementation
- Remote training
- Clinic-centric support desk
"The HIT Regional Extension Centers are going to play a critical role in helping targeted physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers recognize the benefits of Health Information Technology and how it will improve patient care and healthcare economics," said Donald Fisher, Ph.D., President and CEO of AMGA. "Through the Alliance, we are prepared to help these newly established Extension Centers have an immediate impact in their designated regions by providing a number of key services and competitive solutions."
"MGMA is committed to helping medical group practices make the right decisions when it comes to implementing EHRs and making other critical technology decisions," said William Jessee, M.D., FACMPE, President and CEO of MGMA. "We believe this partnership represents a natural extension of our mission, and we are pleased to be a part of the team helping the Extension Centers achieve this critical mission."
"The services the Alliance can provide are geared towards educating physician practices, hospitals and other qualifying healthcare organizations about EHR and HIE technology," said Chuck Lyles, president of Perot Systems healthcare group. "This will allow these groups to make the most informed decision about the appropriate EHR for their organization and how they can successfully manage the implementation and integration into their current workflows."
About AMGA
AMGA represents medical groups and organized systems of care, including some of the nation's largest, most prestigious integrated healthcare delivery systems. AMGA improves health care for patients by supporting multispecialty medical groups and other organized systems of care. Approximately 95,000 physicians practice in AMGA member organizations, providing healthcare services for 96 million patients. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, AMGA is the strategic partner for medical groups providing a comprehensive package of benefits, including political advocacy, educational and networking programs and publications, benchmarking data services, and financial and operations assistance. www.amga.org
About MGMA
The MGMA serves 22,500 members who lead and manage more than 13,700 organizations in which almost 275,000 physicians practice. Its diverse membership comprises administrators, CEOs, physicians in management, board members, office managers and many other management professionals. They work in medical practices and ambulatory care organizations of all sizes and types, including integrated systems and hospital- and medical school-affiliated practices. Additional information is available by visiting www.mgma.com.
About Perot Systems Healthcare
Using a proven methodology based on the people, processes and technology healthcare organizations need to succeed, Perot Systems is a leading integrator of Tier I clinical systems. Serving a multitude of hospitals worldwide, including more than 1,000 in the U.S., Perot Systems is ranked #1 for professional services in North American Healthcare by Gartner (based on 2008 revenue) and is rated "Best in KLAS for Clinical Implementation-Principal" by the prestigious KLAS awards for professional services firms. Perot Systems supports thousands of physicians in hospitals, as well as more than 30,000 in physician groups, and has managed, recovered, and resolved billions of dollars for clients through more than 400 revenue cycle engagements. To learn more, visit www.perotsystems.com/Industries/Healthcare/default.
About Perot Systems
Perot Systems is a worldwide provider of information technology services and business solutions. Through its flexible and collaborative approach, Perot Systems integrates expertise from across the company to deliver custom solutions that enable clients to accelerate growth, streamline operations and create new levels of customer value. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Perot Systems reported 2008 revenue of $2.8 billion. The company has more than 23,000 associates located in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific. Additional information on Perot Systems is available at www.perotsystems.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. For factors that could affect our business and cause actual results to differ materially, please refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at http://www.sec.gov/, as updated in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed after such Form 10-K, for additional information regarding risk factors. We disclaim any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.