Medsphere & Keane Join Forces to Provide Healthcare Enterprises With Integrated Electronic Health Record & Revenue Cycle Management Systems

Total Solution Provides Best-of-Suite Technology, Streamlines

Implementations

    SAN RAMON, Calif. and ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ --
 Medsphere Systems Corporation and Keane, Inc. today announced a strategic
 partnership designed to provide hospitals and other healthcare enterprises
 with integrated best-of-suite clinical and financial software. The alliance
 leverages Medsphere's OpenVista(R) electronic health record (EHR) platform,
 the leading commercial implementation of the VistA EHR developed by the
 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Keane's EZ-Access Patcom(R), the
 leading revenue cycle management solution for hospital environments.
     The partnership grew out of joint deployment efforts at hospitals
 operated by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
 (DHHR) and at Century City Doctor's Hospital (CCDH) in Los Angeles, both of
 which required integration and concurrent installation of Medsphere and
 Keane technologies. The integration at West Virginia DHHR was completed
 successfully and is live at three sites: 150-bed and 90-bed acute care
 psychiatric facilities, and a 119-bed acute and long term-care facility.
 The CCDH integration and implementation is in progress with an expected
 Go-Live in mid-December.
     Building on these projects, the companies have now formed a
 relationship designed to equip care delivery organizations with a combined
 best-of-suite clinical and financial product offering backed by a unified
 implementation methodology. This strategy simplifies technology
 procurements for hospitals and other facilities, helps ensure successful
 deployments, and provides accountability.
     "Hospitals and other healthcare enterprises are frequently unable to
 reach consensus over new clinical and financial management technologies
 because they are unable to get a best-in-suite solution in a single product
 suite and they are reluctant to deal with different vendors to get the best
 technology in each area," said Walter Kaczor, senior vice president of
 Keane's Healthcare Solutions Division. "Our partnership with Medsphere
 eliminates the need to compromise while also ensuring vendor cooperation."
     "Our joint implementation with Keane in West Virginia proved the
 effectiveness of our collaborative delivery and support model in providing
 a total solution for revenue cycle, financial and clinical needs. It also
 allowed us to develop a proven integration method that can be replicated in
 other deployments," said Denean Rivera, Senior Vice President of Client
 Services and Strategic Partnerships at Medsphere. "Other organizations will
 now be able to reap the same benefits."
     Medsphere's OpenVista is a commercial open source version of the VA's
 VistA EHR enhanced to meet the needs of non-VA healthcare providers and
 sold as a package that includes professional services, training, ongoing
 product upgrades, and 24x7 customer support. Use of the core VistA
 functionality, available in the public domain, offers an affordable EHR
 solution without expensive proprietary license fees while also delivering a
 platform with a twenty-year track record that has been heralded for its
 role in turning the VA into a leader in quality care.
     Keane's EZ-Access Patcom revenue cycle management (RCM) suite
 incorporates patient access, patient billing, accounts receivable,
 collections, contract management and additional RCM modules designed to
 help hospitals of all sizes increase revenue and cash flow, decrease days
 outstanding for accounts receivable, and improve revenue cycle management.
 Leveraging Web technology, EZ-Access Patcom enhances the revenue cycle
 process with advanced functionality including online scheduling, insurance
 eligibility, and medical necessity checking. The system's workflow engine
 manages each account's lifecycle from start to finish, streamlining
 operations and accelerating the collection process.
     The partnership is effective immediately.
     About Medsphere Systems Corporation
     As the Open-Source source for healthcare, Medsphere is revolutionizing
 the industry by delivering commercially supported software based on the
 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' proven VistA electronic health record
 (EHR). Medsphere offers healthcare a comprehensive solution in
 OpenVista(R), a portfolio of products and professional services for
 hospitals, clinics, and integrated delivery networks. The company addresses
 the capital constraints of the healthcare industry through an innovative
 subscription-based pricing model. Medsphere's experienced team of
 healthcare technology professionals and unique suite of implementation
 tools deliver a fluid transition to a comprehensive healthcare information
 technology solution. Founded in 2002, Medsphere is backed financially by
 Azure Capital Partners, Thomas Weisel Venture Partners, and the Wasatch
 Venture Fund. For more information, visit http://www.medsphere.com.
     About Keane
     In business since 1965 and based in the United States, Keane is a
 global services firm that specializes in enabling transformation of its
 clients' business and IT functions. The transformation partner of choice
 for clients across a broad array of industries, Keane is unique in its
 passion for building satisfying and enduring relationships with clients.
 Keane's solutions-which comprise consulting, technology, and outsourcing
 services-are customized to address clients' industry-specific challenges
 and enable dramatic improvements in business performance. For more
 information on Keane's services portfolio, industry solutions, and global
 locations, visit www.keane.com.
     Contacts:
     Medsphere Systems                   Keane, Inc.
     Dave Driscoll                       Ed Meehan
     Vice President of Sales             Director of Marketing
     (703) 779-1843 office              (631) 824-5206
     dave.driscoll@medsphere.com         emeehan@keane.com
 
     Media
     Jason Ovitt (for Medsphere)
     S&S Public Relations
     (847) 415-9326
     jovitt@sspr.com
 
     Michael Gallo (for Keane)
     Gutenberg Communications
     (212) 239-8594
     mgallo@gutenbergpr.com
 
 

SOURCE Keane Inc.