ProtoHIT™ SaaS Compliant With ACOEM Third Edition Occupational Practice Guidelines

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ProtoHIT, Inc., working in conjunction with The Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational & Environmental Health (RMCOEH), released updated patient treatment protocols to help occupational health providers optimize treatment of injured workers, communicate effectively with employers, and measure efficacy of implemented treatment plans.

"ProtoHIT's patient protocols are the only Third Edition optimized protocols available on the market," said Dr. Christopher J. Wolfkiel, Director ACOEM Practice Guidelines.

"These protocols function as a surveillance tool to focus the professional on what needs deeper evaluation," said Dr. Barry Chaiken, Chair, ProtoHIT advisory board. "It is not to pass judgment. It is to guide and focus treatment. There will always be variation, and our job is to examine the variation and be sure it is at a level we deem acceptable. Without variation there is no progress or new discoveries. With too much variation there is poor quality and poor outcomes."

ProtoHIT is the only occupational health software that measures patient outcomes to help workers' compensation health providers improve patient treatments. Dr. Phillip Wagner, ProtoHIT's Chief Medical Officer, originally developed and perfected the system using 12,000 cases at his occupational health clinic. In addition to achieving better quality and outcomes with ProtoHIT, medical costs decreased by 15% in the treatment of patients.

ACOEM's Third Edition of Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines is the most comprehensive collection of musculoskeletal medical recommendations in the industry. They are based on years of research by ACOEM, the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and hundreds of multidisciplinary panel members and reviewers, delivering evidence-based methodology to assist occupational health providers in making medical treatment decisions. The guidelines contain more than 12,650 references and 2,500 recommendations with supporting evidence levels, tables, and references.

About ACOEM

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) represents nearly 5000 physicians specializing in occupational and environmental medicine. Founded in 1916, ACOEM is the nation's largest medical society dedicated to promoting the health of workers through preventive medicine, clinical care, disability management, research, and education. For more information, visit www.acoem.org.

About RMCOEH

The Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational & Environmental Health (RMCOEH) was established in 1977 to meet the need for comprehensive occupational and environmental safety and health programs in the West. RMCOEH became a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-sponsored Education and Research Center (ERC) in 1978. RMCOEH provides comprehensive occupational safety and health degree programs, continuing education, hazardous substance training, OSHA, outreach courses, and research to improve the safety and health of workers. RMCOEH is housed in the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine within the University of Utah's School of Medicine. For more information, visit medicine.utah.edu/rmcoeh/index.htm.

About ProtoHIT, Inc.

ProtoHIT, Inc. delivers patient treatment optimization for the workers' compensation market. ProtoHIT is a web-based Software as a Service (SaaS) for occupational health clinics that streamlines their processes, enhances communications with employers, and helps providers return injured employees back to work sooner. ProtoHIT enables health clinics to implement evidence-based and outcomes-based medicine to improve patient outcomes. Because it is web-based, clinics do not need to make any IT investment in hardware or software, and minimal training is required to get up and running fast. For more information about ProtoHIT software, please visit www.protohit.com.

SOURCE ProtoHIT, Inc.