HMS Acquires MedHost

Nashville-based HMS, a leading player in the small-hospital total HIS space, has acquired MedHost, a major player in ED systems.

We recently assessed a hospital using MedHost in its ED, and it was a stunning implementation. When you sign on to the system, you get a floor map of your ED, with color buttons representing patients, green for recent admissions, yellow and red for those staying over hospital-set time parameters. Wonderful work -flow analysis to design the system around hospital policies and procedures. This hospital saw a HUGE jump in ED revenue due to improved capture and coding of charges, which fall out automatically from routine activities. Really slick! Added to HMS' recent acquisition of an un-named ambulatory EMR system, HMS is now well-positioned to challenge small-hospital market-leader CPSI with a very robust suite of products, well-timed to enhance "meaningful use" of both an acute, ED and practice EMR. Rival Healthland (formerly Dairyland) has also recently re-written its ED module, so these two players are now well-positioned to help small hospitals across the spectrum of care.