Recognizing ACP's leadership in developing valuable program

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Today, , an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solutions, commended the American College of Physicians (ACP) for their leadership in developing and administering the ACP EHR Partners Program (EPP). The program was created to aid physicians in determining which EHR to implement by allowing physicians and their practices to compare electronic health records through published user survey results. The EPP covers a broad spectrum of information, including user satisfaction ratings, objective assessments of the EHRs in use and detailed standardized pricing scenarios. The program was launched for the second consecutive year at the end of April 2009 and information on all participating EHR products is now available online.

The EPP has recently expanded their review of EHR programs to include 23 different systems, a significant increase from the previous year's review. The ACP's EHR Comparison Tool allows physicians to compare systems that have been certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), based on baseline criteria for functionality, security and interoperability.

"The ACP has once again shown leadership in the EHR arena by developing the EHR Partners Program to educate physicians on purchasing a software package to modernize their practice," said Michael Q. Stearns, M.D., President and CEO of . Michael Q. Stearns said, "The ACP appreciates the difficult choice physicians face when choosing an EHR. The Partners Program is a convenient, informative, objective, and transparent resource that allows physicians to determine the most suitable system for their practices."

"It is excellent source of information on EHRs and will help facilitate the implementation process on a national level," Michael Q. Stearns added.

The American College of Physicians is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in the United States. Its membership of 126,000 includes internists, internal medicine subspecialists, medical students, residents, and fellows.

is a participant in the EHR Partners Program offered through the American College of Physician's Center for Practice Improvement and Innovation. Participation in this program is available to EHR systems that are certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). Participation in the EHR Partners Program does not imply endorsement by ACP or the existence of any type of partnership or representative relationship between and ACP.

Group will advocate for legislative, executive and regulatory policy measures in Texas.

AUSTIN, TX — , an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) and practice management (PM) solutions, is proud to announce Michael Q. Stearns, M.D., President and CEO of , has been named the Texas e-Health Alliance (TeHA) Board President. As a founding member, and Michael Q. Stearns, M.D. will pursue e-health policy advancement alongside the advocacy group, bringing together and representing all interests in the health care industry.

Michael Q. Stearns, M.D. looks forward to working with TeHA board members, Vice-President Cindy Hielscher, Global Public Sector Health Industry Director for Accenture, and Secretary/Treasurer M. Ted Haynes, Vice President for Health Care Delivery for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. Together they will lead the group in their first year with Nora Belcher, a tenured health policy analyst, who has been hired as the full time Executive Director.

' leadership post at the Alliance will help expand e-health advancement throughout the Texas health care community. The Austin-based company has been a pioneer in e-health implementation and meaningful use and will continue to push this agenda along with the establishment of a health information exchange (HIE) across Texas. Doing so will achieve one of TeHA's underlying goals, creating more efficient, higher quality health care.

"The founding of Texas e-health Alliance achieves a unified voice for the promotion of e-health implementation in Texas. Our most imperative goal is improving health care for all Texans and we believe this is accomplished by helping the state become a national leader in the meaningful use of electronic health records, HIE's and other e-health solutions. TeHA will work towards improving quality and access to health care statewide and promoting policies that protect the confidentiality of patient information," said Michael Q. Stearns, M.D..

TeHA was established to bring together the best of industry leadership to promote public policy initiatives supporting the adoption of health information technology. The organization will facilitate dialogue and networking between e-health experts and leaders from the private sector and local, state and federal government, as well as, provide education on the economic and quality of care benefits e-health implementation offers.

Other supporting members of the Alliance include: Lance Armstrong Foundation, Pfizer, Texas Medical Association, Texas Hospital Association, Tech America, TechNet, US Health Record, ATT, IBM, Availity, Axolotl, Humana, THA, TMA, UT Austin, and many others.

Michael Q. Stearns, M.D. has 15 years of experience in clinical and academic medicine and over 10 years of experience in the HIT industry. He played a central role in the development of SNOMED CT and has been active in standards efforts and the development and implementation of electronic health records.