NexJ Receives Grant To Advance And Accelerate Health Information Exchange In Massachusetts

NexJ Connected Wellness to be first patient-engagement solution connected to state HIE

TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - NexJ Systems Inc., (TSX: NXJ) a provider of cloud-based software, delivering enterprise solutions for the financial services, insurance, and healthcare industries today announced the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has awarded NexJ a grant to advance the value of the Commonwealth's health information exchange (HIE), called the Massachusetts Health Information Highway (Mass HIway) through direct engagement by the patient.

The primary goal of this competitive grant program, called the Mass HIway Vendor Interface Grant Program, is to accelerate connections to the HIE which will enable healthcare providers to more easily exchange information and therefore increase the impact of the HIway on health care delivery.

"NexJ is pleased to be the first organization to provide a state HIE with a solution that engages patients in their health and wellness," said William M. Tatham, Chief Executive Officer of NexJ.  "As a pioneer in people-centered health, we are encouraged by this project as it will allow healthcare providers to create personal care plans that inform patients about their condition, what treatments have happened to date, next steps, and what to do in case of adverse events. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has shown that personal care plans improve patient satisfaction, reduce phone calls to the office, and enable more collaborative care."

"NexJ Connected Wellness, a platform that connects people to their health information and to their care team, and the solutions available through the platform including NexJ Transitional Care Management, NexJ Scheduling, NexJ Assessments and NexJ Health Coach, are seen as adding value to both provider organizations and patients to improve collaboration and help patients improve outcomes and achieve their health and wellness goals," said Eric Gombrich, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Health Solutions. "The Massachusetts state HIE is built on the Orion Health HIE infrastructure and furthers the partnership we have established with Orion Health as a leading global provider of HIE and healthcare integration solutions."

Grants were awarded to IT vendors that support hospitals and healthcare organizations, with preference given to vendors in the electronic health record (EHR), clinical information system (CIS) and Care Management sectors that support physicians in small practices, long-term care, or in behavioral health settings, particularly those not covered by so-called 'Meaningful Use' incentives.  The grants will help diverse records systems connect to and exchange information on the HIway, improving the delivery of health care by providing a direct and secure link to the exchange.

"These grantees are helping health care practitioners across Massachusetts improve the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective health care through access to the Mass HIway," said Pamela Goldberg, CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. "These are leading Health IT companies, some of them located here in the Commonwealth, and their expertise will help hospitals and small health care vendors better exchange information, thereby improving the quality of care for Massachusetts citizens."

Federal guidelines require EHR systems to include data exchange capabilities that incorporate the Direct Standards, which aim to replace paper-based and proprietary exchanges with more advanced and cost-conscious electronic systems. These grants can accelerate development of a direct-enabled records system and offset the cost of developing and implementing the interfaces.

"These awards move us one step closer toward our goal of having every provider in the Commonwealth connected to the HIway," stated Laurance Stuntz, Director of the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech. "These grants will support some of the state's smaller providers to transition onto the HIway, which will fill in critical gaps in information sharing and move us closer to truly statewide adoption."

In 2012, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services launched the statewide health information exchange.  The Vendor Interface Grants are part of the Mass HIway 'Last Mile Program,' funded through the State Health Information Exchange Program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC).

For more information, visit: http://www.mehi.masstech.org/health-information-exchange-0/last-mile-program/vendor-interface-grants.

About NexJ Systems Inc.
NexJ is a provider of cloud-based software, delivering enterprise solutions for the financial services, insurance and healthcare industries. Our next-generation, people-centered software combines industry-specific functionality with information from multiple applications and data stores to provide comprehensive knowledge of the individual.

Through the acquisition of Broadstreet Data Solutions Inc., NexJ has added expertise in data governance and management, data integration and quality, business intelligence and analytics, and mobile application development.

NexJ is named as Canada's fastest growing company in the 24th Annual PROFIT 200 ranking by PROFIT Magazine, and ranks in the top 5 of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ for the third consecutive year. Based in Toronto, NexJ has clients throughout North America and in Europe. For more information about NexJ visit www.nexj.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 416-222-5611.  Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like us on Facebook or hang out with us on Google+.

About the Massachusetts eHealth Institute
The Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is the state's entity for health care innovation, technology, and competitiveness and is responsible for advancing the dissemination of health information technology throughout Massachusetts, including the deployment of electronic health records systems in all health care provider settings and connecting them through the statewide health information exchange. For more information, please visit mehi.masstech.org and follow @MassEHealth.

About the Mass HIway
The Massachusetts Health Information Highway (Mass HIway) is the Commonwealth's secure statewide health information exchange. The Mass HIway enables the electronic movement of health related information among diverse organizations, such as doctors' offices, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, skilled nursing facilities and health plans. The HIway facilitates the exchange of clinical information among varied health care information systems, while maintaining the meaning of the information being exchanged, regardless of provider affiliation, location or differences in technology. Using the HIway can give doctors and other clinicians a more comprehensive understanding of their patients' full medical histories to inform a more complete delivery of their healthcare.

NexJ Forward-looking Statement
Certain statements in this press release may contain words considered forward-looking statements or information under applicable securities laws. These statements are based on NexJ's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the operating environment, economies and markets in which the company operates. These statements are subject to important assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and the actual outcome may be materially different. NexJ's assumptions, although considered reasonable by the company at the date of this press release, may prove to be inaccurate and consequently its actual results could differ materially from the expectations set out herein. For additional information with respect to risks and other factors which could occur, see NexJ's securities filings with the OSC and other securities regulators. NexJ securities filings are available on www.sedar.com.  Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, NexJ disclaims any intention or obligations to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE NexJ Systems Inc.