Hoboken University Medical Center Receives Federal Stimulus Funds for Achieving Meaningful Use with Medsphere’s OpenVista EHR

Medsphere Systems Corporation today congratulated Hoboken University Medical Center (HUMC) on meeting the requirements for Stage One of Meaningful Use and receiving an initial reimbursement from the federal government for the implementation of Medsphere’s OpenVista, the enabling electronic health record (EHR). According to HUMC’s technology consultant, the New Jersey hospital will receive an estimated $8 million overall in federal stimulus funds, $3 million of that this year.

HUMC has been live since the spring of 2011 on OpenVista, Medsphere’s comprehensive open source system derived from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ VistA solution, the most widely used EHR in the world. The 328-bed hospital will ultimately receive significantly more than the total five-year cost of OpenVista from the federal government over the term of the Meaningful Use reimbursement program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

“What Hoboken has accomplished clinically and financially with OpenVista is significant and serves as a template for other hospitals. I am particularly proud of the collaborative spirit of Medsphere services and the HUMC staff and consultants working together to implement the system,” said Medsphere President and CEO Irv Lichtenwald. “OpenVista enables improved patient care, and the affordability of the solution combined with Medsphere’s subscription service model gives HUMC financial flexibility to deal with unforeseen health IT challenges in the future.”

For HUMC and other hospitals facing financial challenges, the affordability of OpenVista and Medsphere’s unique subscription-based business model put a comprehensive electronic health record within reach.

According to statistics provided at the end of September by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), slightly less than 10 percent of all U.S. hospitals have met Meaningful Use requirements and received stimulus funds. As one of a select group of hospitals that have received federal reimbursement, HUMC has demonstrated what a community hospital can accomplish with the right system, partners and commitment.

About Medsphere and OpenVista

Founded in 2002 and based in Carlsbad, Calif., Medsphere Systems Corporation is an award-winning organization of clinical and technology professionals working to make quality health IT solutions accessible to organizations of virtually any size, shape or budget. Medsphere’s OpenVista® is a portfolio of clinical support products and professional services that leverages an electronic health record (EHR) system developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This VistA EHR is widely credited with helping transform the VA into the nation's most efficient and clinically effective healthcare organization. OpenVista, the most fully commercialized VistA offspring, is a responsible reapplication of the VA’s $8.5 billion investment, which recent studies show have yielded $3.09 billion in benefits, primarily from the near elimination of medication administration issues and duplicate testing.

Medsphere’s subscription-based pricing model enables hospital, clinic and integrated delivery network customers to pay for OpenVista from their operating budget with no upfront costs or back-end balloon payments. Expert implementation and other services facilitate fluid and rapid transition to a paperless clinical environment focusing on best practices and evidence-based medicine in six to nine months. Medsphere also actively nurtures the Healthcare Open Source Ecosystem, a global community of customers, partners, developers and other online collaborators who drive OpenVista innovation, and provide a parallel development and support structure.

Learn more about Medsphere at www.medsphere.com.

Keywords:

Medsphere, OpenVista, electronic health record, EHR, electronic medical record, EMR, Hoboken University Medical Center, HUMC

Contacts

Medsphere Systems
David Macfarlane, 760-692-3751
[email protected]

or

Stalwart Communications
David Oats, 858-750-5560
[email protected]