HAMILTON, TX – Hamilton General Hospital, located in Hamilton, Texas, has met Stage 1 meaningful use criteria for Medicare and Medicaid with the certified electronic health record (EHR) from Healthcare Management Systems Inc.(HMS).

Hamilton's commitment to achieving meaningful use was fueled by its passion for delivering the best healthcare possible to its close-knit Central Texas community. Hamilton began its relationship with HMS after evaluating several vendors, which included multiple demonstrations and site visits.

"We were not just looking for a vendor that could help us achieve meaningful use, we wanted a partner who shared our commitment to continually improving the services we provide to our community," said Michele Cathey, chief executive officer of Hamilton General Hospital. "HMS provided the resources needed to work with our IT staff over the last several weeks in order to reach our meaningful use attestation goal."

Hamilton General Hospital completed its 90-day attestation period and received Stage 1 meaningful use certification on July 22 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The certified HMS EHR is 2011/2012 compliant in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

"We were determined to be on the leading edge of meaningful use, and we worked closely with HMS, especially during the final days of confirming our attestation reports when the HMS team really showed its dedication to our project," said Chad Reinert, director of IT for Hamilton General Hospital. "I'm also fortunate to work with a great staff whose willingness to accept change and modify processes was key to completing Stage 1 on our accelerated timeframe."

"HMS looks forward to a long-lasting relationship with Hamilton as we continue providing the expertise and clinical and financial applications that help keep their patients and the hospital healthy," said Tom Stephenson, president and chief executive officer of HMS.

About HMS
Healthcare Management Systems Inc. (HMS) is a Nashville-based healthcare company that develops, sells and supports integrated clinical and financial hospital information systems and services designed to increase efficiency while improving patient safety. The HMS EHR is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by Drummond Group, an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Founded in 1984, HMS currently serves nearly 700 community hospitals; behavioral, rehabilitation and long-term acute-care facilities; and multi-entity healthcare organizations nationwide. For more information, visit www.hmstn.com.

HMS is part of HealthTech Holdings Inc., a health information technology holding company that owns HMS, MEDHOST and Sentry Healthcare Services Inc. HealthTech Holdings' mission is to acquire and manage technology companies focused on the creation of value for the healthcare industry. For more information, visit www.healthtechholdings.com.