AUSTIN, TX — Today , an industry leader in development and implementation of electronic health records (EHR), announced that Michael Q. Stearns, M.D. has been promoted to President of the company. The founder of , Dr. David Winn, will remain the CEO and Chairman of the Board. Dr. Winn will continue to play an integral role in future direction of the company.

The change comes as is set to unveil a new line of products in 2008 that a leading consultant described as something "that will revolutionize the EHR industry." currently offers one of the premier electronic health records systems in the world, Solution Series™.

"Since joining our management team in 2006, Michael Q. Stearns, M.D. has proved to be an invaluable asset to . His leadership and knowledge will carry us to new heights as technology fully integrates with the healthcare industry," said Dr. David Winn, CEO of . "I look forward to working closely with Michael Q. Stearns, M.D. in guiding the family and strategically planning for the future of the company."

Michael Q. Stearns, M.D. arrived at on December 1, 2006. He is a board certified neurologist with 15 years of experience in clinical and academic medicine. He is a voting member of the federally sponsored Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP), and a member of this body's technical committee addressing population health issues. Michael Q. Stearns, M.D. has over 6 years of experience designing and implementing electronic health records for ambulatory practices and he is also a Certified Professional Coder.

"In my short tenure at , I have watched the company grow with a pioneering vision and integrity fueled effort. I am honored, excited, humbled and eager to help guide this innovative team into the future," said Michael Q. Stearns, M.D., President of . "We will change the way health care is practiced, providing physicians and researchers with information that can be used to overcome some of the greatest challenges of medicine."

was founded in 1996 by Dr. David Winn. The company employs more than 180 people and is headquartered in Austin, TX. The company experienced a 30% increase in organic sales growth in 2006.

AUSTIN, Texas -- , an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solutions, announced the successful conclusion of their 5th annual User Conference & Symposium (UCS09). The conference, with well over 600 participants, was sold out for the second straight year. It was hosted July 23-25 at Austin's newest high-tech learning facility, the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center.

In collaboration with Primary Care Network, a leading educator in continuing medical education (CME), the conference was expanded to provide CME accredited courses.

"Now, more than ever, it is vital to provide instruction to healthcare providers in the field of Health Information Technology," said Sandy Bihlmeyer Executive Director of Primary Care Network. "The education provided at the CME sessions presented practical strategies that will help clinicians implement systems and processes that will ultimately improve patient care."

The new targeted and more advanced curriculum was well received by all participants:
"Another successful and informative user conference! I am always amazed about all the new information that I learn every year I attend," said Dr. Leonard B. Kancher of The Center for Longevity and Wellness in Metairie, Louisiana. "This is a very powerful system and the user conferences help us to understand more and more about its functionality. In addition, the AT&T Conference Center was an excellent environment for learning."

"I never expected to learn everything I did at the user conference, it was an absolutely fabulous experience," said Brenda Southerland Billing Office Manager at HealthStar Physicians of Hot Springs, PLLC. "I was impressed by the availability of the staff, there was always someone who was willing to help and I loved the new AT&T conference Center. I have already told the staff and physicians at my practice I cannot wait to go back again next year."

"Attending the user conference was well worth my time," said Dr. Jen Brull of Prairie Star Family Practice in Plainville, Kansas. "I enjoyed updating my knowledge base and meeting other users in a low-pressure atmosphere. I will definitely be back!"

"I attended the user conference and symposium after using ' electronic medical record for two years. While I am quite comfortable navigating myself around the medical record, I am always surprised at how many new things I learn when I attend the annual conference," said Angela Thompson-Busch, M.D., Ph.D. of All About Children Pediatrics in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. "The trainers are excellent and reveal many things available in the system to improve my office management. Attending this event is one of the best yearly investments that I make for my office."

' UCS09 Symposium events included multiple presentations on the current status of the Health Information Technology industry, including the recent stimulus provisions in The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

UCS09 continued in the tradition of idea exchange and improved utilization of Solution Seriesâ„¢ product suite, and the client-focused sessions addressed clinical and operational best practices, audit protection, workflow optimization, and revenue enhancing processes.

"The performance of our 2009 User Conference & Symposium exceeded all expectations," said Michael Q. Stearns, M.D., President and CEO of .

Michael Q. Stearns added "Medical professionals, practice managers and other users benefited from a well-rounded curriculum that addressed improving patient care and clinical compliance as well as the evolving landscape of healthcare IT and policy."

"We understand how vital it is for to serve as an educational resource to our community of healthcare professionals," Michael Q. Stearns said. "Each year this conference has grown larger and I am always pleased to have the opportunity work closely with our users."

AUSTIN, TX - , the provider of the nationÕs most highly rated EHR, and Primaris, MissouriÕs federally designated Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) are working together to offer users in Missouri free assistance with earning incentives under the PhysicianÕs Quality Reporting System (PQRS) for 2011 and 2012.

As a public service pursuant to their contract with the federal government, Primaris will work together with to assist users interested in reporting selected Preventive Care measures under the PQRS program in the following ways:

• enable EHR functionality needed to conduct PQRS EHR Reporting
• identify exactly where and how to record specific data elements for each preventive care measure
• establish workflows to allow efficient and consistent data capture
• develop routine reports that allow monthly monitoring of PQRS measures
• implement a continuous quality improvement program to improve performance rates
• submit data to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to receive incentive payments
• share best practices and expertise from topic experts on new developments in prevention services (for example, the CDC and physician specialists)
• provide assistance based on practice needs

Consistent with national healthcare goals to expand EHR use and functionality, CMS is encouraging providers to begin reporting PQRS using the EHR option. users are in a unique position to participate in this initiative because Solution Seriesª is one of only 27 EHR systems qualified to report PQRS using the EHR option in 2011. While PQRS reporting can be daunting and meticulous, and Primaris will lead physicians through all necessary steps to ensure successful reporting. PQRS is important to providers who have successfully implemented a qualified EHR, offering financial incentives to eligible providers for participation. Failure to report PQRS will result in payment penalties beginning in 2015.

"The upcoming QIO 10th Scope of Work brings exciting opportunities for physicians to receive help from Primaris with various CMS incentive programs," stated Sandra Pogones, Program Manager of Physician Services for Primaris. "When effectively implemented, the processes of quality measurement, monitoring and improvement become extremely motivating to the entire care team. EHRs simplify these processes and empower physicians to better understand their practices by delivering actionable information."

"We are pleased to offer our Missouri clients the benefit of free assistance for earning incentives along with Primaris," stated Michael Q. Stearns, MD, President and CEO of , Inc.

Michael Q. Stearns explained, "We intend for our customers to reap all the possible benefits of EHR implementation and Meaningful Use, be it improved patient care, streamlined billing procedures or financial rewards from the government."

"Primaris is an organization committed to helping clients realize those same advantages," Michael Q. Stearns said.

AUSTIN, TX - , an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) and practice management (PM) solutions, congratulates the Diabetes Center of Ocean Springs, MS and Miramont Family Medicine of Fort Collins, CO, for their recognition as 2010 HIMSS Davies Ambulatory Care Award of Excellence recipients. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) selected a total of four organizations as finalists for the ambulatory award and ultimately chose the Diabetes Center of Ocean Springs and Miramont Family Medicine as winners. Both practices are clients of .

The Davies Ambulatory Care Award recognizes organizations that have effectively leveraged health information technology (HIT) to provide excellence in care. Winners are chosen based on their progressive use of EHRs based on management, functionality, technology and value. The Diabetes Center and Miramont Family Medicine were chosen as winners for their successful implementation and meaningful use of Solution Series.

As finalists, both The Diabetes Center and Miramont Family Medicine hosted site-visits by the HIMSS Davies Ambulatory Care Award Committee. The Committee, which consisted of past winners and HIT experts, evaluated the practices through staff interaction and observation of EHR functionality in each individual setting.

We are delighted to see our customers receive recognition for their advanced use of electronic health records and practice management," said Michael Q. Stearns, MD, President and CEO of .

"We are especially pleased to see two of our customers win this highly prestigious award and know that they represent the achievements of many of our customers nationwide, Michael Q. Stearns said.

Michael Q. Stearns said, "Recognition as winners is a testament to their commitment to using technology for the benefit of their patients and their practices."

This is the first year a nurse practitioner-owned organization has been considered for the Davies Ambulatory Care Award. "We are thrilled to be making Davies Award history as the first nurse practitioner-owned clinic to be chosen as a winner for this competitive award," said KC Arnold, ANP at The Diabetes Center. "Using Solution Series as our EHR has been critical to my clinic's success and further enabled me to focus on my patients' diabetes care."

Miramont Family Medicine also credits much of its success to the flexibility of software product. "Solution Series has allowed us to build numerous bidirectional interfaces necessary for health information exchange, not only internally with our own lab and imaging information systems, but also externally with data registries such as our state immunization information system and patient centered medical home collaborative," said Dr. John Lumir Bender, Medical Director of Miramont Family Medicine. "Such data reporting allows us to gather feedback that provides direction on where we need to focus our efforts for quality improvement. Over time, we have seen our metrics for chronic disease management improve, and we can share this data with patients and payers alike."

AUSTIN, TX - , an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solutions, announced they have been named a selected EHR vendor and Implementation Optimization Organization (IOO) by the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI). The Institute will serve as a Regional Extension Center (REC) in Massachusetts, working to facilitate the adoption of EHR technology by the state's providers. As a selected vendor , will help ensure effective implementation and provider achievement of Meaningful Use.

was identified through their response to a rigorous RFI process. MeHI was soliciting well established vendors and systems that would encourage workforce development. met these criteria, also touting ease of use, access to an excellent support team and affordability. "We share a common vision with MeHI that the HITECH act is a unique opportunity to accelerate the adoption of high quality health information technologies in a cost effective manner," said Michael Stearns, MD, President and CEO of . "These efforts will lead to improvements in the quality and efficiency of healthcare in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

In an effort conduct a more efficient transition, is partnering with the Primary Care Foundation (PCF), an additional MeHI selected Implementation and Optimization Organization, based in western Massachusetts. The organization will implement and host as part of its "HealthLens EHR Platform;" a membership-based solution for private practices that couples EHR hosting with IT management, centralized support, continuing education, and an online community promoting leadership and collaboration between practices. PCF augments the HealthLens Platform with grant-funded health initiatives, improvement programs, and research opportunities that empower member practices to harness the full potential of their EHR data. The Foundation also provides a broad slate of classes, workshops, and events at the HealthLens Learning Center, located in Northampton, MA.

"We've partnered with because the product is tightly aligned with the principles of our organization." said Kyle Homstead, Executive Director of the Primary Care Foundation. "While there are many similarities between today's leading EHRs, most people don't realize that the 'clinical engine' is proprietary and totally unique to each application. Often trivialized, these functional disparities have massive impact at the point-of-care, where overly-simplistic tools can undermine the integrity of a physician's practice. is the only product that we've found with a clinical toolset that effectively supports the cognitive and narrative aspects of medicine, both of which are essential to the delivery of high-quality care."

"Massachusettes has the highest adoption rate of EHRs in the country," stated Michael Q. Stearns, MD, President and CEO of .

Michael Q. Stearns said, "Providers in this state are uniquely positioned to move forward with advanced uses of technology such as the capture and use of codified terminology and clinical decision support."

"It will be a pleasure to work with MeHI on educational and informatics objectives as we move through the more advanced stages of Meaningful Use," said Michael Q. Stearns.

"We are pleased to have join our list of selected health IT companies that will help thousands of health care providers across Massachusetts successfully transition to electronic health records," said Rick Shoup, Ph.D., Director of the Massachusetts e-Health Institute. "Widespread deployment of electronic health records leads to better quality care for patients, reduces health care costs and spurs new jobs in the health care industry."