(Nashville, Tenn., April 8, 2008) -- Healthcare Management Systems, Inc.® (HMS) announced today that it was selected by the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative Information Technology Network (RWHC ITN), which is working toward establishing a shared electronic health record (EHR) infrastructure for Wisconsin community hospitals. The RWHC ITN is comprised of four independent rural hospitals that will be utilizing HMS for their hospital information system from a common datacenter; the exhanging of clinical data between the facilities will begin in 2009,

An HRSA CAH-HIT Network grant awardee, as well as an FCC Pilot Program participant, the RWHC ITN has garnered attention for being perhaps the first such network made up exclusively of small critical access hospitals. HMS was selected after a lengthy vendor evaluation process and has committed to helping RWHC ITN to serve rural hospitals and physicians by providing:

• Unified, integrated electronic information to support healthcare;
• Systems to reduce avoidable medication errors; and,
• Quality support to ensure their appropriate use.

Following an initial implementation period, the organization intends to work with larger hospitals toward a regional data exchange that will further enhance patient safety and healthcare system efficiency for Wisconsin health providers and all Wisconsin residents.

"The RWHC ITN, in partnership with HMS, promises to dramatically increase EHR adoption in small and rural Wisconsin hospitals and physician practices," said Louis Wenzlow, chief information officer of the organization.

"We are pleased to be providing an integrated clinical and financial information system for the RWHC ITN and are excited to see all they are doing to begin the exchange of clinical data in rural Wisconsin communities to improve healthcare in rural America," said Tom Stephenson, president and chief executive officer of HMS.

HMS was chosen over its competitors for the contract and will go live by the end of 2008.