Press Releases

Picis to Lead Discussion on Meaningful Use and EDIS at ACEP Scientific Assembly

“Are you a ‘meaningful user?’” session outlines HIT best practices for hospitals seeking federal stimulus payments

WAKEFIELD, Mass.— October 5, 2009 — With hospitals eager to take advantage of healthcare information technology (HIT) funding under The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), adoption is spiking — as are vendor and hospital requirements for demonstrating “meaningful use” of this technology. As one of the highest profile departments in the hospital, the emergency department (ED) is a prime area for HIT improvement. This week, at the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) 2009 Scientific Assembly in Boston, Mass., emergency department information system (EDIS) market leader Picis will provide examples of how ARRA investment efforts in HIT will impact emergency care and the clinicians who deliver it.

On Tuesday, October 6, Mark Crockett, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., President of Picis’ Emergency Care Division and an attending ED physician at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Ill., will lead an ACEP Informatics Section discussion entitled, “Are You a Meaningful User?” Neil Meehan, M.D. Assistant Director of the Emergency Center at Lawrence General Hospital in Mass. and a Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians (MACEP) member, along with Gary Zimmer, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., Chairman of Emergency Medicine at St. Mary Medical Center in Pa., will join Dr. Crockett. The discussion will center on what ARRA means for EDs and physicians, and the steps hospitals need to take to become eligible for reimbursement under the Act.

“Billions of dollars are being allocated toward the ‘meaningful’ implementation of HIT, but many hospitals are at a loss as to where to start, what to do and how to move quickly to make sure they qualify for such funding,” said Dr. Crockett. “By implementing technology in the ED that provides computerized physician order entry, medication reconciliation, data sharing and data analysis, hospitals can not only improve emergency department documentation and minimize errors in this uniquely-demanding environment, but also be in a strong position to receive Federal stimulus funding.”

Automating more than 30 million patient visits annually in more than 700 hospitals throughout North America, Picis emergency department applications provide integrated clinical information and financial management tools for improving hospital operations and increasing patient satisfaction in the ED. Picis is lending its expertise and closely following Federal recommendations and certification criteria to be used for ARRA stimulus funding, and Picis ED PulseCheck^® versions 4.0 and 4.1, part of the CareSuite^® family of high-acuity solutions, have already achieved certification by The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT^®) 08 for Emergency Department Electronic Health Records (EHRs).

In addition to moderating a discussion between emergency medicine experts at the ACEP Scientific Assembly, Picis is scheduled to demonstrate its emergency department software, ED PulseCheck, in booth #461 at the conference. For more information on Picis ED PulseCheck, please visit http://www.picis.com/products/emergency-department/ED-pulsecheck.

About Picis
Picis is a global provider of innovative information solutions that enable rapid and sustained delivery of clinical, financial and operational results in the acute care areas of the hospital. These high-acuity areas include the emergency department, operating and recovery rooms, and intensive care units. Picis offers the most advanced suite of integrated products focused on these life-critical areas of the hospital where the patients are the most vulnerable, the care process is the most complex and an increasing majority of hospital costs and potential revenue are concentrated. Headquartered in Wakefield, Massachusetts, Picis has licensed systems for use in more than 1,700 hospitals in 19 countries. More information is available at www.picis.com.

© 2009 Picis, Inc. All rights reserved. Picis, the Picis logo, CareSuite, SmarTrack and Extelligence may be a trademark or registered trademark of Picis, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the properties of their respective owners. This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, Picis’ expectations concerning the functionality and market acceptance of its products, and management’s plans, objectives and strategies. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Picis’ control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements.