HORSHAM, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: QSII) and a leading provider of healthcare and connectivity solutions, today commented that the Notice of Proposed Rule Making issued last week on electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs moves the healthcare industry closer to securing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus payments for healthcare IT adoption. The company noted, however, that further guidance will be needed to lead medical providers through the requirements to become meaningful users of EHRs. To help navigate the criteria, NextGen Healthcare has produced new educational resources for providers and opened its Community Forum for discussion, questions and comments on the rule.
"The proposed rule should give doctors, particularly those that have not yet decided to implement an EHR, some comfort with the path to qualifying as meaningful users and obtaining the government's incentive reimbursements," said Scott Decker, President of NextGen Healthcare. "But first, more guidance is needed to build trust and understanding of healthcare automation - from how to purchase the right EHR, to product implementation, training, and cultural change in an automated practice environment. NextGen Healthcare also encourages providers to comment on the newly released criteria in our Community Forum and to leverage our other online resources to become more informed and prepared to adopt and effectively use health information technology."
NextGen Healthcare's latest resources include:
- Getting to Meaningful Use. In this online guide, NextGen Healthcare walks providers through six critical steps toward becoming meaningful users of EHRs, including tips and advice on: researching EHRs; what to look for in product demos; planning a timeline for selection and implementation of the EHR; and preparing their staff for change.
- Multimedia and Education Portal. To help providers understand and maximize opportunities created by the ARRA, NextGen Healthcare's Inside Health Reform online portal offers case studies, videos, a series of free educational webinars and white papers, FAQs, and an EHR revenue improvement calculator. The next webinar will be held Tuesday, January 19, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. EST. The agenda will include an initial analysis of meaningful use criteria and key takeaways for medical providers. Interested participants can register for the webinar online.
- NextGen Community Forum. A public discussion board has been opened on NextGen.com for providers to post their comments and questions about meaningful use criteria. NextGen Healthcare will incorporate the feedback in its official response to CMS. Providers can also use the public forum to ask about products and learn best practices from peers and NextGen Healthcare experts to address the latest industry challenges.
- Support for Grants and Funding Opportunities. NextGen Healthcare is the only EHR vendor to help its clients identify and apply for appropriate grant opportunities through its Grants Resources Center. Clients can find valuable information and work with NextGen Healthcare to assess their opportunity to participate in "Beacon Communities," "SHARP," and other funding being made available as part of ARRA. Prospective clients can also learn about grant opportunities and NextGen Healthcare's support while evaluating potential use of the company's products.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Notice of Proposed Rule Making on meaningful use of EHRs on December 30, 2009, outlining the standards and certification requirements for healthcare providers to receive a portion of the over $50 billion economic stimulus funding dedicated to accelerating healthcare IT adoption by the medical community. A public comment period is open through March 13, 2010, after which CMS will issue a final rule.
About NextGen Healthcare
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: QSII), provides integrated electronic health record and practice management systems, connectivity solutions, and billing services for hospitals and ambulatory practices of all sizes and specialties. NextGen® EHR version 5.6 recently earned designation as a premarket conditionally CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR, additionally certified for Child Health and Cardiovascular Medicine with Advance Reporting. For more information about NextGen Healthcare, please visit www.nextgen.com and www.qsii.com.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements regarding future events, developments, the Company's future performance, as well as management's expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates or projections relating to the future (including, without limitation, statements concerning revenue and net income), are forward-looking statements within the meaning of these laws and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable and are based on reasonable assumptions and forecasts, however, undue reliance should not be placed on such statements that speak only as of the date hereof. Moreover, these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are outlined below. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: volume and timing of systems sales and installations; length of sales cycles and installation process; the possibility that the products will not achieve market acceptance; seasonal patterns of sales and customer buying behavior; the development by competitors of new or superior technologies; the timing, cost and success or failure of new product and service introductions, development and product upgrade releases; undetected errors or bugs in software; product liability; changing economic, political or regulatory influences in the health-care industry; changes in product-pricing policies; availability of third-party products and components; competitive pressures including product offerings, pricing and promotional activities; the Company's ability or inability to attract and retain qualified personnel; possible regulation of the Company's software by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; uncertainties concerning threatened, pending and new litigation against the Company including related professional services fees; uncertainties concerning the amount and timing of professional fees incurred by the Company generally; changes of accounting estimates and assumptions used to prepare the prior periods' financial statements; general economic conditions; and the risk factors detailed from time to time in Quality Systems' periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A significant portion of the Company's quarterly sales of software product licenses and computer hardware is concluded in the last month of the fiscal quarter, generally with a concentration of such revenues earned in the final ten business days of that month. Due to these and other factors, the Company's revenues and operating results are very difficult to forecast. A major portion of the Company's costs and expenses, such as personnel and facilities, are of a fixed nature and, accordingly, a shortfall or decline in quarterly and/or annual revenues typically results in lower profitability or losses. As a result, comparison of the Company's period-to-period financial performance is not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indicator of future performance. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.