NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: QSII) and a leading provider of ambulatory healthcare and connectivity solutions, today announced record-setting attendance – more than 2,700 people – at its 2009 Users Group Meeting (UGM) in Washington, D.C. Since 1995, the annual event has provided a forum for clients using the NextGen® products and services to discuss and learn about industry developments, product enhancements and emerging trends.
One of the many highlights at UGM 2009 has been a keynote session with former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Founder of the Center for Health Transformation, Newt Gingrich, and former Vermont governor and Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean. Moderated by NextGen Healthcare Senior Vice President Scott Decker, the candid discussion focused on healthcare reform and topics such as the timeline for enactment of legislation, what legislation may accomplish, and healthcare delivery reform goals in the near and long term.
“As Washington debates how to reform our healthcare system, now is the time to invest in the technologies other industries have been embracing for years,” said Gingrich. “Health IT means more than a switch from a paper to digital office. It's a fundamental shift in the way medicine is practiced, creating greater efficiencies among physician practices and hospitals while allowing patients to take greater responsibility for their own health. I was thrilled to speak to over 2,700 professionals in NextGen Healthcare’s large network of clients who are successfully addressing the challenges of improving the healthcare delivery system by utilizing this technology and living the benefits every day.”
“We are facing an historic opportunity to not only reform our nation’s healthcare system in a way that ensures Americans get to make the choice about their healthcare, but also to transform it by investing in healthcare information technology,” said Governor Dean. “Over the next few weeks, Washington will either side with the American people and pass real healthcare reform, or it will choose instead to pour millions of the taxpayers’ money into a broken system with half measures, it’s up to every one of you to be a part of making sure they make the right choice."
This year’s agenda also features a keynote session with Apollo 13 hero Gene Kranz, and more than 150 sessions on various topics targeting different attendee skill levels. The healthcare services and government relations track, for example, includes sessions on the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and other stimulus developments, as well as discussions about patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) and quality outcomes.
Winners of the fourth annual NextGen Best Practice Awards, which honor clients who have demonstrated exemplary use of NextGen Healthcare’s ambulatory healthcare and connectivity solutions, were announced at UGM. Winning clients are Rural Medical Services, Inc. (small practice category), Huron Gastro/Center for Digestive Care (mid-size) and American Health Network (large).
On the product front, NextGen Healthcare announced the following:
- Commercial availability of NextGen® EHR Mobile, a product that enables providers to have constant access to patient health records from mobile devices such as Apple iPhone or iPod Touch;
- launch of NextGen Dashboard; a fully integrated graphical representation of current and historical financial data and Health Quality Measures; and
- release of NextGen version 5.6; a new version of its software platform developed to enhance ease of use through user interface consistencies and to increase interoperability, including Cross-Enterprise Document Sharing (XDS).
“This is a critical time for healthcare and we feel that Washington, D.C. provides the perfect stage for discussions about the state of the industry and where it is going,” said Patrick Cline, president of NextGen Healthcare. “In addition, UGM provides a venue for our clients to share best practices and to provide the feedback needed to help continually enhance our industry-leading technology.”
About NextGen Healthcare
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: QSII), provides integrated electronic health record and practice management systems, connectivity solutions, and billing services for hospitals and ambulatory practices of all sizes and specialties. For more information about NextGen, please visit www.nextgen.com and www.qsii.com.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements regarding future events, developments, the Company's future performance, as well as management's expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates or projections relating to the future (including, without limitation, statements concerning revenue and net income), are forward-looking statements within the meaning of these laws and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable and are based on reasonable assumptions and forecasts, however, undue reliance should not be placed on such statements that speak only as of the date hereof. Moreover, these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are outlined below. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: volume and timing of systems sales and installations; length of sales cycles and installation process; the possibility that the products will not achieve market acceptance; seasonal patterns of sales and customer buying behavior; the development by competitors of new or superior technologies; the timing, cost and success or failure of new product and service introductions, development and product upgrade releases; undetected errors or bugs in software; product liability; changing economic, political or regulatory influences in the health-care industry; changes in product-pricing policies; availability of third-party products and components; competitive pressures including product offerings, pricing and promotional activities; the Company's ability or inability to attract and retain qualified personnel; possible regulation of the Company's software by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; uncertainties concerning threatened, pending and new litigation against the Company including related professional services fees; uncertainties concerning the amount and timing of professional fees incurred by the Company generally; changes of accounting estimates and assumptions used to prepare the prior periods' financial statements; general economic conditions; and the risk factors detailed from time to time in Quality Systems' periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A significant portion of the Company's quarterly sales of software product licenses and computer hardware is concluded in the last month of the fiscal quarter, generally with a concentration of such revenues earned in the final ten business days of that month. Due to these and other factors, the Company's revenues and operating results are very difficult to forecast. A major portion of the Company's costs and expenses, such as personnel and facilities, are of a fixed nature and, accordingly, a shortfall or decline in quarterly and/or annual revenues typically results in lower profitability or losses. As a result, comparison of the Company's period-to-period financial performance is not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indicator of future performance. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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