Perot Systems forms alliance with medical groups to offer health information technology services

The American Medical Group Association (AMGA), the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and Perot Systems Corporation (NYSE: PER) (www.perotsystems.com) today announced the formation of an alliance (Alliance) that will utilize the deep healthcare expertise of the three organizations to offer electronic health record (EHR)-related training and implementation services to newly established Health Information Technology (HIT) Regional Extension Centers (Extension Centers).

The Alliance will use the combined healthcare industry expertise, technology capabilities and market presence of each organization to offer a comprehensive suite of educational and technical services to organizations that are designated by The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an Extension Center. The services provided by the Alliance will better enable Extension Centers to immediately help a wide array of physicians and healthcare organizations prepare for EHR implementation and meaningful use requirements.

The HIT Regional Extension Program was created with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Once established, the Extension Centers will provide technical assistance and disseminate best practices regarding HIT implementation. HHS plans to establish up to 70 Extension Centers, with the target being the least-advantaged providers struggling with implementation and adoption, including public and critical access hospitals, Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers, rural providers and physician practices focused on primary care.

The Alliance will strive to help designated Extension Centers by offering a range of services, including:

• Physician and healthcare organization targeting and outreach
• Incentive program and EHR-product education and awareness
• EHR subscription-based solutions
• Remote hosting services
• Health Information Exchanges (HIE) services
• Remote Implementation
• Remote training
• Clinic-centric support desk

"The HIT Regional Extension Centers are going to play a critical role in helping targeted physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers recognize the benefits of Health Information Technology and how it will improve patient care and healthcare economics," said Donald Fisher, Ph.D., President and CEO of AMGA. "Through the Alliance, we are prepared to help these newly established Extension Centers have an immediate impact in their designated regions by providing a number of key services and competitive solutions."

"MGMA is committed to helping medical group practices make the right decisions when it comes to implementing EHRs and making other critical technology decisions," said William Jessee, MD, FACMPE, President and CEO of MGMA. "We believe this alliance represents a natural extension of our mission, and we are pleased to be a part of the team helping the Extension Centers achieve this critical mission."

"The services the Alliance can provide are geared towards educating physician practices, hospitals and other qualifying healthcare organizations about EHR and HIE technology," said Chuck Lyles, president of Perot Systems healthcare group. "This will allow these groups to make the most informed decision about the appropriate EHR for their organization and how they can successfully manage the implementation and integration into their current workflows."