Regulatory Requirements Take Center Stage for Rural Hospitals at Healthland User Conference

Speaker “optimistic” about extension of timetable for Stage 2 Meaningful Use Attestation

Regulatory Requirements Take Center Stage for Rural Hospitals at Healthland User Conference

Healthland

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The role of information technology for helping rural hospitals meet regulatory requirements was the focus at Healthland’s user conference, Connect 13, in Minneapolis Sept. 30 through Oct. 3.

More than 500 executives and staff from 120 rural hospitals throughout the country attended the Healthland user event. Healthland is a leading provider of healthcare information technology solutions to rural community and critical access hospitals.

Healthland CEO Chris Bauleke said, “Healthland clients are counting on us to help them meet critical regulatory requirements such as Stage 2 Meaningful Use and ICD-10, plus address the changing environment with healthcare reform.”

Bauleke told the Connect 13 participants, “Healthland is investing heavily in you and your future as we help you leverage technology solutions for your long-term success.”

Among the key issues discussed at Connect 13 was the aggressive government timeline for achieving Stage 2 Meaningful Use attestation. Eric Zimmerman, a Washington-based partner with legal and government relations firm McDermott Will & Emery, told the crowd, “We have built a coalition among the National Rural Health Association and many stakeholders – including Healthland – to encourage a more reasonable timetable for rural hospitals to meet Meaningful Use deadlines.”

Zimmerman expressed optimism that the Obama Administration will grant leeway on deadlines for hospitals to attest to Stage 2 Meaningful Use.

Other features at the conference included:

Healthland’s Bauleke said rural hospitals are leaders in leveraging information technology to deliver coordinated care in their communities.

“For rural hospitals, this is not a healthcare reform issue; it’s a way of life,” he said.

Healthland is America’s largest provider of integrated solutions to rural community and critical access hospitals. Software and services from Healthland, including electronic health records (EHRs), help customers share patient information across care settings to coordinate treatment, improve outcomes, and drive patient satisfaction. With Healthland’s acquisition of American HealthTech, the two organizations are aligning to offer solutions across communities of acute and post-acute care settings. American HealthTech is among the nation’s largest providers of financial and clinical solutions in post-acute care, connecting skilled providers to the healthcare continuum Combined, Healthland – headquartered in Minneapolis with offices in its founding location of rural Glenwood, Minn. -- and American HealthTech – headquartered in Jackson Miss. with offices in Denver -- employ 450 and serve more than 3,500 clients. More information is available at: .