"Best Kept Secrets" - Release 1.0

Every now and then we run across a new HIS vendor with a hot product, reasonable price, but an unknown name. In honor of my 1969 start at SMS, which back then was little more than 3 guys in a phone booth, I'm going to help spread the word about a few upcoming firms who deserve more recognition and RFPs than they'll ever get as "best kept secrets..."

First is "Opus," a small firm from Waco (pronounced "whackoo"), Texas, who have an amazingly functional set of clinical apps centered around a web-based EMR and CPOE. We just learned about them at a system search in the Midwest this summer, where Opus partnered with another vendor for financial systems. The other vendor bombed, but the physicians and nurses rated Opus as better than 3 "leading" vendors' clinical offerings! Their biggest client is UHS from Phila., for whom Opus has installed about 20 acute care hospital on their clinical suite. Biggest drawback: no financial systems, so you'd have to interface. But, if your AR days are low and financial users are happy, why risk the pain of a conversion? Building an interface might be far less trouble and cost... Hottest feature: being web-based, MDs can use handheld devices (Palms, Blackberries, even iPhones!) to inquire into patient EMRs through a browser. HIPAA treat: no PHI is left on the device, as its only a web page surfed by IE, Safari, etc. Yes, they're small and unknown, but so were SMS and HBOC in the days of King of Prussia and Walt Huff's garage! Of course, I received no royalties for this plug, nor own no stock in them - in fact, with the market these days, I wished I owned no stock in anything! Stay tuned for the next release of "Best kept secrets in HIS."