Natick, MA – Sept. 15, 2011 – Interbit Data, a leading provider of software and services connecting people with information for more efficient healthcare, today announced a partnership with MMR Global, Inc., a leading provider of Personal Health Records (PHRs) and electronic document management systems for healthcare professionals and consumers. The companies will integrate Interbit Data’s NetDelivery and Document Manager products with MMR’s MMRPatientView and MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record to offer a solution that broadens and eases access to patient health information, meeting requirements for Meaningful Use.

The companies’ joint solution utilizes NetDelivery with Document Manager to pull patient reports from a hospital’s healthcare information system (HCIS), assemble them into a single, encrypted electronic file, and then deliver the file to the MMR Personal Health Record (PHR). The PHR is a secure online service that enables patients to maintain all their medical records in one central location and access them via Internet anytime and anywhere. The patient can designate third parties such as family members to also have access to their records.

This one-of-a-kind solution also presents a potential revenue opportunity for hospitals and other healthcare facilities, as it can be upgraded to a paid subscription service delivering information to the patient and any designated third parties.

“This partnership allows us to augment our portfolio of products that are certified as electronic health records modules for establishing Meaningful Use and provide our customers with the opportunity to offer Personal Health Records to their patients and possibly create a revenue stream,” said Arthur Young, president of Interbit Data. “One of the requirements outlined by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for establishing Meaningful Use is to provide patients and others with electronic medical records information on request. NetDelivery and Document Manager enable that quickly, easily and securely.”

“Through our partnership with Interbit Data, we create a solution that facilitates the process of assembling patient information from multiple sources and delivers it securely to our patient portal,” stated Robert H. Lorsch, chairman, president and chief executive officer of MMR Global. “Hospitals will be able to improve the availability of information to their patient community and patients will obtain greater knowledge and control over their healthcare.”

About MMRGlobal, Inc.
MMRGlobal, Inc., through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. (“MMR”), provides secure and easy-to-use online Personal Health Records (“PHRs”) and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions, serving consumers, healthcare professionals, employers, insurance companies, financial institutions, and professional organizations and affinity groups.

The MyMedicalRecords PHR enables individuals and families to access their medical records and other important documents, such as birth certificates, passports, insurance policies and wills, anytime from anywhere using the Internet. MyMedicalRecords is built on proprietary, patented technologies to allow documents, images and voicemail messages to be transmitted and stored in the system using a variety of methods, including fax, phone, or file upload without relying on any specific electronic medical record platform to populate a user’s account. To learn more about MMR Global, Inc. and its products, visit www.mmrglobal.com.

About Interbit Data
Founded in 1997 and named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies for three consecutive years since 2009, Interbit Data helps healthcare organizations deliver better, more consistent patient care with secure, reliable and cost-effective software solutions that improve operational efficiency. The company’s report distribution products deliver information securely over the Internet in multiple formats, such as fax, print, email, encrypted file or HL7 message format, and integrate it easily into physicians’ practice EMRs. Interbit Data’s business continuance products give healthcare providers continuous access to patient data in the event of a network or system outage. Interbit Data products are used by more than 650 MEDITECH® customers worldwide. For more information about Interbit Data and its NetSolutions products, visit the company Website at www.interbitdata.com.

Justin Barnes, chairman of the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association and vice president of Greenway Medical Technologies, answers many questions about this program such as:

• How the stimulus money will be paid out
• What it takes to qualify for funding
• Which specialities qualify for funding
• How “meaningful us” is defined
• What constitutes a “qualified EHR”

Meaningful use begines January 1, 2011 and practices should be starting their EHR adoption now. This webinar is a comprehensive look at this program and is a must see for anyone involved with the process within their healthcare practice.

According to the article, the “ARRA does not begin offering incentives to doctors and hospitals to implement electronic medical records until 2011, and providers are waiting for guidance on so-called “meaningful use” rules, which are expected to be finalized next month.”

In the article, Arthur Young, president of Interbit Data, says:

“To some extent the stimulus is having the opposite effect. Customers are holding back from buying products while they wait to hear the final guidelines.”

Young goes on to state that Interbit Data has done some new targeted marketing of its products, to help reassure providers that the applications will conform to the “meaningful use” rules.

Is your hospital waiting to purchase IT solutions to support the “meaningful use” rules or have you already started investing? Let us know.

It was pointed out that more than 80% of all healthcare dollars are controlled by the physicians. There are some incentives toward EMR adoption and use, but it may not be enough, and there is really no fundamental change to the way the physicians practice, which would lead to helping to control costs.

One of the first speakers at the event was Dr. Alan Sager, a professor of Public Policy at BU, who outlined a most interesting plan to focus on increasing the number of general practitioners and giving them some sort of capitated dollars for care of their patients. Unlike other systems, the physician would be salaried so as to not profit from withholding care, but simply responsible for managing cost-effective care.  An interesting idea. Unfortunately, science fiction. Maybe I need to move to Canada.