PLANO, TX – Perot Systems will launch a new service to help hospitals achieve guidelines for "meaningful use" of electronic health records, as called for in the American Recovery and Reinvestment ACT.

The HITECH Act within ARRA requires that healthcare providers become meaningful users by 2016. It sets aside about $23 billion in incentives through Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to encourage the adoption of EHR systems as soon as 2014.

The law requires that the user must "demonstrate it is using certified EHR technology, that the technology is connected in a manner that allows for the exchange of healthcare information that the EHR user can effectively demonstrate the technology's meaningful use."

"While many hospitals have some form of an electronic medical records system in place, the lack of standardization and interoperability surrounding EHRs beyond an individual hospital's walls has led to a fragmented approach to adoption," said Harry Greenspun, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Perot Systems' healthcare group. "As a result many hospitals may not be able to meet the new standard of meaningful use as defined by ARRA. Our service offering is designed to help them take that next critical step."

Perot executives will detail the new service in Web presentation 10:30 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday. The session is part of a series on topics related to the ARRA. It can be accessed at www.perotsystems.com/insights.