Allscripts® Integrates Telehealth into Electronic Health Records

CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Allscripts unveiled plans for a new telehealth solution to expand convenient access to care while enabling patients and providers to save time and money. The solution will integrate the American Well™ Online Care telehealth platform into the Allscripts Electronic Health Records (EHR) platform, taking another step toward Allscripts vision of a Connected Community of Health™.

Integrating telehealth with Allscripts EHRs will give patients new ways to access care, whether they are at home or on the road. Healthcare providers will benefit by offering high-quality online voice and video interactions documented via their electronic health record, enhancing care coordination across providers.

University of South Florida (USF) Health, a partnership of USF's colleges of medicine, nursing, public health and pharmacy as well as USF Physician Group, is planning to use this new offering in a unique relationship with The Villages, the country's largest over-55 residential community, located near Tampa, Florida. USF Health announced a partnership with American Well to make Online Care part of its integrated patient-centered healthcare system for The Villages.

"USF Health's mission is to establish a care model that represents the future of health, a university-community partnership with a specific focus on patient-centric and collaborative care," said Stephen Klasko, MD MBA, Chief Executive Officer of USF Health.  "We are delivering tomorrow's healthcare today by combining the most innovative EHR and telehealth platforms as a significant step toward ensuring continuity and delivering care directly to the homes of the residents of The Villages."

Consumers are used to online voice and video services to communicate with family and friends, paving the way for patients to be comfortable accessing healthcare online. And, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services identified telehealth as one solution for Accountable Care Organizations to improve healthcare outcomes and satisfaction.

"Allscripts telehealth solution will help provide convenient, safer and secure access to care and enable that care to be documented in the electronic health record—so that other providers can have up-to-date information. It will also give physicians an opportunity to get paid for telehealth, something that was a hurdle in the past," said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. "Our open platform architecture enables this integration, which we expect to be available in January, and takes us another step closer to a Connected Community of Health™."

Allscripts is partnering with American Well, the leading U.S. telehealth company which currently partners with some of the country's largest payers. The companies will work to integrate American Well's Online Care platform into Allscripts electronic health records platform. The integrated product should reach general availability early next year.

"The momentum behind the telehealth movement is growing at a remarkable pace. As patients demand improved access to care, providers seek alternative delivery methods to deliver care efficiently and effectively as payment models trend away from fee-for-service," said Ido Schoenberg, MD, Chairman and CEO of American Well Corporation. Meanwhile, legislative and regulatory barriers are also being removed. Schoenberg added, "Today, forty state Medicaid plans reimburse for telehealth services and 16 states mandate private insurer coverage for telehealth – including four states which have passed such laws since March. Integrating Online Care with Allscripts Electronic Health Records will offer providers a solution to meet these mandates while improving access to quality healthcare."

Live Demo

Allscripts, American Well and USF will conduct a live demonstration of the integrated solution today at ACE, the Allscripts Client Experience, during the opening session at 9 a.m. Central Daylight Time. To watch the opening session visit www.allscripts.com/ace2012, and click on "Watch the opening address."

Clients will begin testing the integrated solution later this year. Allscripts expects the full solution to be generally available in 2013.

About ACE

ACE, the Allscripts Client Experience, is Allscripts annual client conference. Throughout the three-day event, ACE attendees will have access to more than 400 educational sessions, user group meetings and partners demoing on the Allscripts open platform.

About Allscripts

Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) delivers the insights that healthcare providers require to generate world-class outcomes. The company's Electronic Health Record, practice management and other clinical, revenue cycle, connectivity and information solutions create a Connected Community of Health™ for physicians, hospitals and post-acute organizations.  To learn more about Allscripts, please visit www.allscripts.com, Twitter, YouTube and It Takes A Community: The Allscripts Blog.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements regarding future events or developments, our future performance, as well as management's expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates or projections relating to the future are forward-looking statements with the meaning of these laws. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are outlined below. As a result, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what impact they will have on our results of operations or financial condition. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among other things: the possibility that the expected synergies, efficiencies and cost savings of the merger with Eclipsys Corporation ("Eclipsys") will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; potential difficulties or delays in achieving platform and product integration and the connection and movement of data among hospitals, physicians, patients and others; the risk that the Allscripts and Eclipsys businesses will not be integrated successfully; competition within the industries in which we operate; failure to achieve certification under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act could result in increased development costs, a breach of some customer obligations and could put us at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace; the volume and timing of systems sales and installations, the length of sales cycles and the installation process and the possibility that our products will not achieve or sustain market acceptance; the timing, cost and success or failure of new product and service introductions, development and product upgrade releases; competitive pressures including product offerings, pricing and promotional activities; our ability to establish and maintain strategic relationships; undetected errors or similar problems in our software products; the outcome of any legal proceeding that has been or may be instituted against us; compliance with existing laws, regulations and industry initiatives and future changes in laws or regulations in the healthcare industry, including possible regulation of our software by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the possibility of product-related liabilities; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; the implementation and speed of acceptance of the electronic record provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; maintaining our intellectual property rights and litigation involving intellectual property rights; risks related to third-party suppliers and our ability to obtain, use or successfully integrate third-party licensed technology; and breach of our security by third parties. See our Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2011 and other public filings with the SEC for a further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties applicable to our business. The statements herein speak only as of their date and we undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or changes in expectations.

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SOURCE Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc.