County of Los Angeles Selects Netsmart to Provide Comprehensive Behavioral Health Information System

GREAT RIVER, N.Y., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Netsmart Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of clinical solutions for health and human services organizations nationwide, today announced an agreement with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) for the provision of a comprehensive behavioral health clinical, administrative, and financial information system which will be known as the Integrated Behavioral Health Information System (IBHIS). IBHIS will be hosted by Netsmart. The agreement was approved on October 18, 2011 by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

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The IBHIS will be a state-of-the-art solution consistent with LACDMH's requirements to support multiple simultaneous users and interface with several existing and planned County information systems. The IBHIS will also enable the demonstration of Meaningful Use of a Certified Electronic Health Record (EHR), creating an opportunity to pursue incentive payments and avoid penalties outlined under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The overall term of the agreement is approximately 11 years with a total contract sum of $93 million.

"We are excited that the Board of Supervisors has approved this agreement with Netsmart," said LACDMH Director Marvin Southard, D.S.W. "This will allow us to apply the most advanced technology to support the work and partnerships that create hope, wellness and recovery in the lives of clients and their families."

The IBHIS will be hosted by Netsmart in its SSAE16-Certified data center with full redundancy, security, back-up and system reliability.

"This is one of the rare opportunities in our industry for a client and a supplier to create something that truly challenges the 'status quo' and transforms the way care is delivered," stated Mike Valentine, chief executive officer, Netsmart. "The IBHIS will support an integrated health ecosystem that encompasses all aspects of the client's care."

Netsmart now provides clinical and practice management systems for more than 50 behavioral health provider agencies and more than 30 counties in California. Netsmart received the Premier Partner of the Year award from the National Association of Counties in March 2011 for its commitment to empower counties, county employees, and communities while developing public-private solutions and relationships.

About Netsmart Technologies

Netsmart Technologies helps health and human services organizations transform care through the collaborative, coordinated management and exchange of clinical data across the care spectrum and through effective practice management that improves revenue cycle management. More than 18,000 client organizations, including 350,000 care providers and more than 40 state systems, use Netsmart products to help improve the quality of life for millions of people each year.

Netsmart clients include mental health and substance use treatment agencies, psychiatric hospitals, private and group mental health practices, public health departments, social services and child and family health agencies, vital records offices, and managed care organizations. Netsmart's products are full-featured information systems that operate on a variety of operating systems, hardware platforms, and mobile devices, and offer unlimited scalability.

Netsmart provides the solutions and expertise that help its clients meet all the criteria for Meaningful Use of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and avoid the costly, time-consuming process of integrating solutions from multiple vendors.

Building upon Netsmart's Complete ARRA-Certified EHRs, Netsmart clients can also create a complete connected care environment encompassing e-prescribing and order entry, sharing clinical information and lab results, and using Web portals to provide secure and private consumer access to care information.

For information about Netsmart's full range of solutions for health and human services organizations, visit www.ntst.com or call 1-800-472-5509.

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SOURCE Netsmart Technologies, Inc.