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SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine, July 22 /PRNewswire/ — The high and rising cost of health care in Maine and what can be done about it will be the focus of a statewide conference on Wednesday, October 1 sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Maine health Management Coalition. “Health Care Costs: Maine’s Burning Platform — Can We Extinguish the Fire?” will examine strategies to moderate Maine’s cost of care.
The conference will feature keynote speeches by two national experts on health care costs: Dr. Arnie Milstein, Medical Director, Pacific Business Group on health and the National health Care Thought Leader at Mercer Consulting and Michael Chernew, Professor, Harvard Medical School, Dept. of health Care Policy. Dr. Erik Steele, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Eastern Maine health Systems, will open the conference with a presentation on why it is critical that Maine control health care cost increases.
“Our health Care Leadership Conference Series focuses attention on the important issues facing Maine and no issue is more important than moderating the rising cost of health care in Maine,” said Dan Corcoran, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
“The Maine health Management Coalition is pleased to co-sponsor this conference bringing together the purchasers and providers of health care to seek solutions to the unsustainable increases we have seen in costs of care,” said Doug Libby, executive director, Maine health Management Coalition.
The half day conference will take place at the University of Southern Maine’s Abromson Community Center. The cost to attend the conference is $25. Pre-registration is required by September 25. Participants can register online at .
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s health Care Leadership Conference series examines critical health care issues facing Maine. A series of conferences over the past three years has focused on wellness and preventative strategies to improve the health of Maine people.
The October 1 conference will be of special interest to health care providers and the Maine business community, as well as public policy makers and the general public.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem health Plans of Maine, Inc., and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. (R)ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine is available at .
About MHMC
The Maine health Management Coalition is a non-profit organization whose over 50 members include public, private and non-profit employers, hospitals, health plans and doctors working together to measure and report healthcare quality and use this information to drive quality improvement. Currently, more than 200,000 member employees and thousands of others are benefiting from the Maine health Management Coalition’s work. For more information, visit .
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

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SEATTLE, July 22 /PRNewswire/ — Milliman Care Guidelines LLC, A Milliman Company, has established an award for clients who are using the company’s evidence-based clinical guidelines and software to improve healthcare delivery.
The company will name the first recipients of The Richard L. Doyle Award for Innovation and Leadership in Healthcare during its next Client Forum, April 2009, in Miami. Dr. Doyle developed the first Milliman Care Guidelines(R) products in 1990.
The Care Guidelines were the first clinical guidelines to offer a proactive, “look-ahead,” approach to most conditions, allowing clinicians to see the entire continuum of care for a patient, and to identify milestones along the road to recovery. Today, Care Guidelines products and software are licensed by more than 1,000 clients, including six of the seven largest US health plans, as they strive to deliver optimal care to their patients and members.
The Doyle Award is intended to encourage clients to develop innovative ways to apply the Care Guidelines to improve healthcare management. Applicants are asked to demonstrate the positive effects of the Care Guidelines on healthcare quality or patient safety; on patient, member, payor or external quality agency satisfaction; on staff efficiency, or on healthcare cost.
The grand prize winner will receive two paid registrations to the Client Forum, including travel and lodging, and their accomplishments will be recognized in an opening-day plenary session. The organization will receive a crystal trophy for display, and Milliman Care Guidelines will host a reception for client employees at the winner’s location. All applicants will have the option to describe their work and share best practices in a general poster session during the Client Forum.
Doyle Award applications will be judged by a panel of healthcare experts who are familiar with the Care Guidelines, but are independent of Milliman. Judges include:
– Leah Binder, Chief Executive Officer of The Leapfrog Group
– Dr. Richard L. Doyle, Originator of the Milliman Care Guidelines (retired)
— Liza Greenberg, President of health Project Consulting
— Donna Merrick, Director of Standards Development for URAC
— Michael Millenson, President of health Quality Advisors

Licensed users of the Care Guidelines may contact Milliman representatives or visit The Doyle Award web page at for application details.
About Richard L. Doyle, MD
Dr. Doyle is the visionary behind the Milliman Care Guidelines. He began creating clinical guidelines as San Diego’s Mercy Hospital Chief of Staff in the 1980s to help improve hospital efficiency and quality. In 1990, Dr. Doyle joined Milliman (then Milliman & Robertson) to publish the company’s first clinical guidelines, then called Healthcare Management Guidelines. Before retiring in 1997, he had produced the original editions of four of the Care Guidelines products currently in use.
About Milliman Care Guidelines
Milliman Care Guidelines LLC, A Milliman Company, is located in Seattle, and independently develops and produces evidence-based clinical guidelines and a variety of software options that are used to support the care of almost two-thirds of US health plan members. Covering the continuum of care, the seven-product Care Guidelines series is updated annually by an experienced team of clinicians, and includes Ambulatory Care, Inpatient and Surgical Care, General Recovery Guidelines, Recovery Facility Care, Home Care, Chronic Care Guidelines and Behavioral health Guidelines. For more information, visit .
About Milliman
Milliman Care Guidelines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Milliman, which serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government, and union organizations. Founded in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company has 48 offices in principal cities in the United States and worldwide. Milliman employs more than 2,000 people, including a professional staff of more than 900 qualified consultants and actuaries. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, employee benefits, life insurance/financial services, and property & casualty insurance. For more information, visit .
Milliman Care Guidelines LLC

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NEW YORK, July 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA), ardent protectors of medical privacy (), are today urging Members of House Energy and Commerce Committee to recognize and protect the right to health information privacy by voting NO on the PRO(TECH)T Act () unless it recognizes and protects the patient’s right to privacy for electronic health information. APsaA’s full letter of request to the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is available by clicking here. ()
Accordingly, in the interest of preserving quality health care and developing a national electronic health information system that the public will accept, APsaA asks that the PRO(TECH)T Act include at least the following provisions:
– Recognition of the individual’s right to privacy for his or her health information;
– Recognition of the right of consent for routine disclosures other than those required by law;
– Preservation of the psychotherapist-patient privilege on the federal and state levels; and
– Preservation of the right of the individual to pay out of pocket and not have information about those health services disclosed without patient consent, unless otherwise required by law.
Founded in 1911, APsaA is a professional organization of psychoanalysts throughout the United States. The Association is composed of Affiliate Societies and Training Institutes in many cities and has approximately 3,300 individual members.
APsaA is a regional association of the International Psychoanalytical Association.
American Psychoanalytic Association

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POWELL, Ohio, July 21 /PRNewswire/ — Click4Care, a provider of pioneering medical management software, is building a leadership team to support its ever-expanding customer base in world class form.
Click4Care continues to experience phenomenal growth — 2007 revenues grew 238% from the previous year’s revenues, and similar growth has continued in 2008. Looking forward, the company expects unprecedented revenue gains in 2009 and beyond after it releases its next major medical management software version (code named Galapagos) later in 2009.
Accordingly, the company has hired more than 30 new employees in 2008, continues to seek candidates for remaining openings, and has solidified its leadership team by hiring Rose Higgins as President of Sales & Product Development, Keith Dayton as President of Operations, and Kass Mahdi as Senior Vice President of Implementation.
“The combined experience and expertise of Dave Blauer, Click4Care’s CEO; Rose Higgins; Keith Dayton; Kass Mahdi; and Jeremy King as CTO; provide Click4Care with unmatched leadership in the medical management IT space, and will support fast-evolving, unequalled technical solutions in and beyond medical management to Click4Care customers, as well as first rate pre- and post-implementation support,” said Albert Waxman, PhD, Click4Care’s chairman and founder of the Psilos Group investment firm.
“I am privileged to welcome such an extraordinary management team. They are the best in our industry in terms of their creativity, healthcare and IT expertise, proven track record building world class technology and customer support solutions, and demonstrated ability to drive extraordinary financial results for all stakeholders,” Blauer said.
A recognized leader in healthcare delivery and medical management, Rose Higgins brings extensive expertise to Click4Care. Her more than 25-year career path includes executive sales, marketing, and product development responsibility with leading global healthcare technology companies. Higgins has designed and delivered programs focused on ensuring quality of care and cost-effectiveness across a variety of clinical settings.
Prior to joining Click4Care, Higgins served as President of iMetrikus, the market leading provider of remote monitoring and interactive health management tools. During her tenure at iMetrikus, she designed and marketed award-winning hardware and software products. Prior to iMetrikus, Higgins was Director of Product and Information Management with Pyxis, a Cardinal health company. She is a graduate of Duquesne University School of Nursing and Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School.
Keith Dayton brings 20 years of results-oriented operations management to Click4Care. His healthcare technology and international logistics expertise extends across a wide range of business operations, including care management, leveraging technology, account management, implementations, health care delivery, business process improvement, strategic and tactical planning, financial control, sales and marketing, and organizational dynamics.
With a degree in Marketing and Management from Southern Connecticut State University and post graduate work in Advanced Executive Management at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, Dayton’s prior positions include Executive VP and Board Member for Comprehensive NeuroScience; Executive Vice President of Operations for ActiveHealth Management, where he was employee number 11; Managing Director for American Airlines in international logistics; and GM of the largest global division of GeoLogistics.
Kass Mahdi has 19 years’ experience in business systems analysis, strategic planning, and business process reengineering. He has a successful track record crafting strategy that leverages technology to support business goals, as well as global operations experience.
Mahdi graduated from The Ohio State University with an Industrial and Systems Engineering degree and MBA. Past clients include L’Oreal Cosmetics USA, the NFL, Johns Hopkins Medical Center, and Campbell Soup Company.
About Click4Care
Click4Care provides innovative medical management software that dramatically improves healthcare for payers, providers, and patients. Its award-winning ThinkHealth product suite drives enterprise-wide changes in the processes and business models of healthcare delivery, enabling providers to reduce costs and improve quality of care for patients. Some of the world’s most progressive health insurance providers rely on ThinkHealth for a more consumer-driven approach to medical management. Today, millions benefit from ThinkHealth’s best-of-breed technology and medical management content. For more information, visit .
Click4Care

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NEW YORK, July 18 /PRNewswire/ — The Reality Coalition — a group of experts on overweight and obesity — today issued a call to action for the media to reevaluate the way they report on weight loss. This action comes as the result of the continued news coverage and editorial content that leads consumers to believe that they are only successful dieters if they lose an enormous amount of weight, and that there is no real benefit in losing a small amount of weight.
“There is a tremendous health benefit in modest, gradual weight loss. Incorporating healthy eating including low-fat, low calorie meals, exercising, behavior modification and using science-based products when needed, is the best way to lose weight,” said Reality Coalition co-chair George L. Blackburn, MD, Ph.D. “And any amount of weight loss is good. It is important for these messages to be delivered to the public on a consistent basis through a variety of media channels, including print, broadcast and online outlets.”
In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine various dieting approaches were evaluated and findings indicate that no matter the type of diet a person is on, low-fat, low carbohydrate, or a Mediterranean diet, any amount of weight loss is beneficial to the patient’s health.
The Reality Coalition is asking the media to join them in their efforts to make this country healthier, starting with a realistic approach to weight loss.
Recently, a nationally syndicated news service implied that a diet may not be worth it if the dieter is only going to lose five to 10 pounds. “In this and many other news stories I read, the key takeaway always seems to be the same — that if a person does not lose extraordinary amounts of weight on a diet or other weight loss regimens, something is wrong,” said Reality Coalition co-chair MRC Greenwood, Ph.D. “This perpetuates the unrealistic approach to weight loss that sets consumers up for failure time and time again.”
The Reality Coalition published a paper on overweight and obesity called “Help Not Hype: Getting Real About Weight Loss,” in the February 2007 issue of Obesity Management. In the paper, the Coalition identifies the media as having an important role in the fight against obesity. The media have the ability to positively shape consumer’s perceptions of maintaining a healthy weight by ensuring thoughtful, scientifically grounded editorial content. Conversely, the media can be harmful when they present inaccurate or misleading editorial messages.
Improving physical appearance may motivate some people to lose weight, and it should be noted that being overweight or obese has a much greater impact on physical health. It is estimated that 112,000 more deaths were associated with obesity relative to normal weight in the year 2000. If the overweight/obesity trend is not reversed, the gains in life expectancy and quality of life resulting from medical advances will erode, and increasing health costs will burden the U.S. healthcare system.
For more information, log on to .

About Overweight and Obesity

Currently, approximately 65 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to the National Institutes of Health. Research suggests that overweight individuals appear to be on the pathway to obesity. Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk of developing health problems such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Factors that can contribute to overweight include an abundance of high-calorie foods, low levels of physical activity, behavior, environment, and genetics. Multiple studies have shown that a modest reduction in weight improves health outcomes significantly in overweight or obese patients.
About the Reality Coalition
The Reality Coalition is a group of esteemed experts on obesity, nutrition, diabetes and healthcare policy who share the common goal of advancing an agenda for realistic approaches to weight loss to achieve improved public health.
The Reality Initiative was launched in 2006 and is supported by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. The Coalition developed a white paper entitled “Help Not Hype: Getting Real About Weight Loss” (published in Obesity Management, February 2007), which was introduced in partnership with the Federal Trade Commission at NAASO, The Obesity Society annual meeting in October 2006. Committed to changing the national weight loss dialogue and broadening its sponsorship base, the Coalition is expanding its efforts in 2008 to invite business leaders, private, public, professional and non-profit groups to partner in our work.
Reality Coalition Members include co-chairs Louis J. Aronne, MD, Dr. George L. Blackburn, MD, Ph.D., and MRC Greenwood, Ph.D.; Arthur Frank, MD, Obesity Specialist; Gary Foster, Ph.D., Behavioral Psychologist; Barbara Moore, Ph.D., Nutritionist; Judith Stern, Sc.D., Nutritionist; Anne Wolf, MS, RD, Dietitian; Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., CNS, Nutritionist; Johanna Dwyer, Ph.D., Nutritionist; Susan Cummings, RD, Dietitian; Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH, Public health Expert; Valentine Burroughs, MD, MBA, Diabetes Expert; Morgan Downey, JD, Obesity Specialist, Shaping America’s Health; NAASO, the Obesity Society, National Consumers League, America On the Move, American Dietetic Association and the American Pharmacists Association.
Contact: Dave Schemelia
HealthSTAR Public Relations
Ph. 646-722-8819

The Reality Coalition

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SPOKANE, Wash., July 17 /PRNewswire/ — Connecting physicians and patients through wired and wireless networks earned 18 hospitals the distinction of being among the most technologically advanced hospitals in the country, according to Hospitals and health Networks magazine. Hospitals and health Networks surveyed more than 1,327 hospitals to name the “100 Most Wired” hospitals in the 2008 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study.
Three hospitals received separate Most Wired recognition including Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho for Most Wired and Most Wireless, Mason General Hospital in Shelton, Washington for Most Wired — Small and Rural, and Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington for Most Wired. The additional 15 hospitals were grouped into regions under Inland Northwest health Services for purposes of the 2008 Most Wired recognition.
Most Wired hospitals are connected by Inland Northwest health Services (INHS). INHS connects 38 hospitals through a health information technology network, which allows physicians and healthcare staff to securely access patient information utilizing wired and wireless technology. The INHS health information technology network includes more than 4,000 physicians, 450 clinics and physician offices and 2.8 million electronic medical records.
“INHS continues to transform regional health care systems through the creative application of information technology and the strategic use of shared services,” said Tom Fritz, Chief Executive Officer of Inland Northwest health Services. “Our success is due to hospitals and physicians’ willingness to adopt and embrace health information technology. Those hospitals and staff are now being recognized for their continuing efforts in adopting these applications and technology.”
Information is stored in an integrated database managed by INHS. It currently stores more than 2.8 million patient records and includes all data associated with hospital inpatient and emergency room visits including physician orders, medication information, laboratory data, and radiological images. Physicians can access patient information from any location at any time, allowing more time to spend with patients, and less time filling out paperwork.
Inland Northwest health Services, non-profit corporation sponsored by Deaconess Medical Center, Holy Family Hospital, Sacred Heart Medical Center and Valley Hospital and Medical Center in Spokane, Washington for providing collaboration in health care services. INHS companies and services include Information Resource Management, St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, Northwest MedStar, Northwest TeleHealth, and additional services. For more information, visit .
Inland Northwest health Services

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and MISSOULA, Mont., July 17
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Omnicell, Inc. a leading provider of system solutions to acute healthcare facilities, and St. Patrick Hospital and health Sciences Center, a 237 bed facility in Missoula, Montana, today announced the successful installation of an interface between the hospital’s Omnicell OptiFlex(TM) CL system and its Philips Series IV physiomonitoring and information system.
“The OptiFlex CL system automates our supply reorder process, giving us greater control and accuracy in ordering to ensure that supplies are always on hand,” said Steve Hartigan, lead cath lab technician at St. Patrick Hospital and health Sciences Center. “In addition, we benefit from a reduction in manual work that frees our staff to spend more time on patient-specific care.”
St. Patrick Hospital and health Sciences Center has been using the OptiFlex CL system in its cardiac cath labs to facilitate real-time automated supply point-of-use data collection. The powerful OptiFlex CL software seamlessly interfaces with the Philips cath lab monitoring and charting software, further reducing the need for manual key entries and automatically populating its American College of Cardiology database with accurate supply information. The complete integrated system made possible by OptiFlex CL software allows cath lab management staff to evaluate the overall performance of the hospital on cardiac cath lab cases by tracking supplies and procedures to a physician for cost management and automated charge capture.
“Tracking supplies in hospital specialty areas like the cath lab at St. Patrick is increasingly tied to patient safety and clinical processes,” said Robert Mullenger, group product line manager, Omnicell. “A cath lab manager benefits from the OptiFlex system because it provides one solution to track all supplies accurately, including implants; and provides interfaces to hospital systems that they depend on.”
For more information please visit the Omnicell booth #1309 at the AHRMM08 annual conference and exhibition at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, July 20-23, or visit .
About Omnicell
Omnicell, Inc. is a leading provider of systems targeting patient safety and operational efficiency in healthcare facilities. Since 1992, Omnicell has worked to enhance patient safety and allow clinicians to spend more time with their patients.
Omnicell’s medication-use product line includes solutions for the central pharmacy, nursing unit, operating room, and patient bedside. Solutions range from complete automation systems for the central pharmacy to nursing unit and bedside dispensing cabinet systems. From the point at which a medication arrives at the receiving dock to the time it is administered, Omnicell systems store it, package it, bar code it, order it, issue it, and provide information and controls on its use and reorder.
Our supply product lines provide a healthcare institution with tools to obtain faster, more effective control of costs, capture of charges for payer reimbursement, and timely reordering of supplies. Products range from high-security closed-cabinet systems and software to open-shelf and combination solutions in the nursing unit, cath lab and operating room. For more information, visit .
About St. Patrick Hospital and health Sciences Center
St. Patrick Hospital and health Sciences Center is a medical center under the sponsorship of Providence health & Services. A not-for-profit health system committed to providing a comprehensive array of services to meet the needs of communities across five states, including Alaska, Washington, Montana, Oregon and California.
Providence health & Services includes 26 hospitals, more than 35 non-acute facilities, physician clinics, a health plan, a liberal arts university, a high school, approximately 45,000 employees and numerous other health, housing and educational services. The system office is located in Seattle, Washington.
Providence health & Services in Alaska, Washington, Montana and Oregon are sponsored by the Sisters of Providence religious community.
St. Patrick Hospital is a 237 licensed hospital bed facility in Missoula, Montana with a 17 county service area. St. Patrick Hospital is recognized for excellence in patient care in such areas as cancer, heart, neuroscience, orthopedics, women’s health and rehabilitation services.
Omnicell, Inc.

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CHICAGO, July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Allscripts, the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, congratulated the leadership of the United States Congress in passing the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (H.R. 6331) last night. The Act, for the first time ever, provides financial incentives to physicians who adopt electronic prescribing (ePrescribing), requires adoption by 2011, and delays any reduction in fees for treating Medicare patients.
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The Act will increase Medicare payments to physicians who regularly utilize ePrescribing by 2 percent in 2009 and 2010, then slightly less over the next three years. Physicians who do not use the technology would see their payments cut by 1 percent in 2011, and a maximum of up to 2 percent for 2013 and beyond.
“With this law, the Federal Government is supporting the use of life-saving technology that can improve quality and reduce the cost of care,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. “This is a great day for patients, for physicians and for all stakeholders in healthcare. We expect the new Medicare rules to drive continued adoption of electronic prescribing and, because electronic prescribing is the ‘on-ramp’ to the electronic healthcare highway, we also expect the law will drive adoption of electronic health records, which include electronic prescribing as a core component and will therefore be eligible for the incentive.”
Allscripts is the clear market leader in ePrescribing with more than 40,000 physician clients writing electronic prescriptions every day, transmitting more electronic prescriptions over the Pharmacy health Information Exchange than any other vendor. Allscripts is the only company to provide a stand-alone ePrescribing solution in addition to including ePrescribing as a component of its Electronic health Record solution. Allscripts makes it easy and affordable for physicians in solo practice and smaller medical groups to adopt the stand-alone version, while enabling those in larger groups to ePrescribe while using a full Electronic health Record.
Additionally, Allscripts is the founding member of the National ePrescribing Patient Safety Initiative(TM) (NEPSI(TM)), a coalition of the nation’s leading healthcare and technology companies that is dedicated to eliminating preventable medication errors by providing free e-prescribing technology to every physician in America. NEPSI is co-led by national sponsor Dell Inc., a leading global systems and services company. Additional NEPSI sponsors include Aetna, Cisco Systems, eRx Network, Fujitsu, Google — the coalition’s Search Sponsor — Horizon BCBS of New Jersey, Microsoft, NaviMedix, Quest Diagnostics, Sprint Nextel, SureScripts, Wellpoint, and Wolters Kluwer Health.
“The NEPSI coalition was created to bring electronic prescribing to physicians at no cost and reduce the risk of medication errors to our nation,” said Tullman. “And it’s working. Every day, more physicians are adopting the solution.”
The Allscripts web-based ePrescribing software for NEPSI is available at no cost to any healthcare provider with legal authority to prescribe medications, the solution requires no download, no new hardware, and minimal training. The product can quickly generate secure electronic prescriptions and deliver them to the patient’s pharmacy of choice.
For more information, visit NEPSI on the web at .
NOTE: The Pharmacy health Information Exchange, operated by SureScripts, facilitates the transfer of electronic prescriptions between US physicians and the nation’s pharmacies. According to the National Progress Report on E-Prescribing (), 35 million prescription transactions were routed electronically in 2007.
About Allscripts
Allscripts is the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare. The company’s unique solutions inform, connect and transform healthcare, delivering improved care at lower cost. More than 40,000 physicians and thousands of other healthcare professionals in clinics, hospitals and extended care facilities nationwide utilize Allscripts to automate everyday tasks such as writing prescriptions, documenting patient care, managing billing and scheduling, and safely discharging patients, as well as to connect with key information and stakeholders in the healthcare system. To learn more, visit Allscripts at .
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements about Allscripts Healthcare Solutions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are developed by combining currently available information with Allscripts beliefs and assumptions. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future performance. Because Allscripts cannot predict all of the risks and uncertainties that may affect it, or control the ones it does predict, Allscripts’ actual results may be materially different from the results expressed in its forward-looking statements. For a more complete discussion of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may affect Allscripts, see the Company’s 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K, available through the Web site maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at .

Allscripts

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MINNEAPOLIS, July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — HealthFitness (OTC Bulletin Board: HFIT) announced today it has quintupled the amount of education content on its Web-based eHealth platform. The enhancements were realized through a new partnership with EBSCO Publishing and became available to HealthFitness customers through the HealthFitness eHealth platform on July 1. HealthFitness is a leading provider of employee health management programs. Managing more than 400 fitness centers globally, the company also offers a suite of health management services on-site, Web-based and telephonically.
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Health Library(TM) from EBSCO Publishing is URAC-accredited with content written and reviewed by qualified medical experts. It is organized and accessible in a Web-friendly format that is designed to be used the way consumers seek information on the Internet. Content is available in Spanish as well as in English, and is written in layman’s terms so consumers can easily understand it.
According to research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 80 percent of American Internet users have searched for health information topics online. The information now available to HealthFitness clients includes disease fact sheets, information about procedures and tests, magazine-style articles about wellness topics, alternative and natural treatments, a drug database that provides details about prescriptions and a medical dictionary. Illustrations and animations help support understanding of the material, which can be seamlessly integrated into a client’s employee health portal.
“Health Library offers tools that HealthFitness clients can use to help employees better understand their health status, and to make conversations with their health care providers more robust when they do seek care,” said Gregg O. Lehman, Ph.D, president and CEO of HealthFitness. “Informed consumers can take steps to improve their own health, and health Library is a trusted resource they can turn to at any time to get the answers they need.”
In addition to the wealth of information available through health Library, HealthFitness’s Medical Director Jim Reynolds, MD, said the resource is notable for the quality of the information presented.
“The condition and procedure fact sheets cover 95 percent of all the issues American consumers will encounter, so we’re putting a lot of valuable information into the hands of our clients and their employees through this library,” Reynolds said. “We are very pleased we can provide materials that are reviewed by qualified medical experts and subjected to a rigorous review process. So much of what consumers find by just surfing the Internet isn’t medically reviewed. Our clients can have confidence that what they read in health Library is verified and scientifically based.”
About HealthFitness
HealthFitness is a leading provider of employee health improvement services to Fortune 500 companies, the health care industry and individual consumers. Serving clients for more than 30 years, HealthFitness partners with employers to effectively manage their health care and productivity costs by improving individual health and well-being. HealthFitness serves more than 300 clients globally via on-site management and remotely via Web and telephonic services. HealthFitness provides a complete portfolio of health and fitness management solutions including a proprietary health risk assessment platform, screenings, EMPOWERED(TM) health Coaching and delivery of health improvement programs. HealthFitness employs more than 3,000 health and fitness professionals in national and international locations who are committed to the company’s mission of “improving the health and well-being of the people we serve.” For more information on HealthFitness, visit .

HealthFitness

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ROCKVILLE, Md., July 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the AARP today released two new checklists designed to help men and women over the age of 50 learn what they can do to stay healthy and prevent disease.
AHRQ and AARP also released an accompanying wall chart, the Staying Healthy at 50 timeline, that provides information about recommended preventive services and can be posted in both clinical and community settings. These three publications Men: Stay Healthy at 50 , Checklists for Your Health; Women: Stay Healthy at 50 , Checklists for Your Health; and the Staying Healthy at 50 timeline show at a glance the evidence-based recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force regarding screening tests, preventive medicines and healthy lifestyle behaviors for people 50 and older.
“As we age, what we need to do to stay healthy begins to change,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. “These new easy-to-read checklists help Americans age 50 and older realize the important steps they can take to stay healthy.”
Checklists for Health, available in English and Spanish, are brochures that adults can take along to medical appointments and are designed to help patients and clinicians engage in discussions about necessary preventive screening tests. Unlike diagnostic tests, which clinicians order when they suspect someone has a disease, screening tests help check for problems before symptoms are apparent. Patients can use the checklists to record their screening test history and plan follow-up medical appointments. Both checklists also provide tips about other things to do to stay healthy, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising.
“We all have a personal stake in making wellness and prevention a top priority,” said Cheryl Matheis, AARP senior vice president of health strategies. “We are delighted to be part of this effort to increase public awareness and participation in age-appropriate health screenings that can often prevent or delay expensive and debilitating chronic diseases.”
The Staying Healthy at 50 timeline displays the Task Force’s recommendations for preventive care for men and women age 50 and older in a wall chart, and it is designed to be posted in places such as clinicians’ offices, senior centers, fitness centers, pharmacies and other public locations.
“Equipping people with the tools and information to stay healthy is important for healthy aging,” said Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant Secretary for Aging of the U.S. Department of health and Human Services. “We are eager to promote the use of these checklists through Aging Network Community Based Partners that reach more than 10.4 million older people and their caregivers and deliver evidence- based health promotion and disease prevention programs.”
The Task Force is the leading independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care. The Task Force, which is supported by AHRQ, conducts rigorous, impartial assessments of the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of a broad range of clinical preventive services, including screening, counseling and preventive medications. Its recommendations are considered the gold standard for clinical preventive services.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50 have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole.
Men: Stay Healthy at 50 , Your Checklists for health and Women: Stay Healthy at 50 , Your Checklists for health are available on the AHRQ Web site at and . The Staying Healthy at 50 timeline is also available on the AHRQ Web site at . The publications may be ordered by calling AHRQ’s Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295 or sending an e-mail to .
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality

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