Meditech
Encyclopedia
Medical Information Technology, Inc., commonly known as MEDITECH, is a Massachusetts
-based software and service company selling information systems
, which are installed in health care organizations throughout the world. The company was founded in 1969 by Chairman A. Neil Pappalardo.
, a programming language which at the time had not been standardized. MIIS users and developers later influenced efforts toward MUMPS standardization during the early 1970s; the MUMPS standard was complete by 1974 and approved by 1977. Between 1971 and 1979, Pappalardo developed various other systems, but those associated with integrated health care information remained his primary focus.
In 1982, MEDITECH adopted the then-new MAGIC programming language. MAGIC would later become integral to MEDITECH's health care information systems' implementations. In 1994, the company adopted Client/Server, a second software platform to complement MAGIC. While Client/Server utilizes the same MAGIC programming language, it runs differently. MAGIC runs all code on a central server, and clients are in effect dumb terminals. Client/Server executes the code on a user's PC, although all code remains centralized. Client server currently supports only Microsoft Windows
-based operating systems. MEDITECH unveiled its 6.0 platform in 2006. This platform is MEDITECH's current offering and purports an improved user interface, streamlined workflows, features to increase patient safety, and improved financial/reporting capabilities.
With over 2,200 customers worldwide, MEDITECH has extended its client base from the United States and Canada into the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and several other communities across the world, including a current venture into the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America, Mexico, and Spain.
MEDITECH recently secured a €
750,000 deal to supply their integrated health care information system to Sheehan Medical's new private hospital, the Cork Medical Centre in Ireland
. This is MEDITECH's third Irish deal with Sheehan Medical after previously supplying their system to their other hospitals the Galway Clinic
and Blackrock Clinic
.
s for health care organizations of various types and sizes. Some of the software modules offered by MEDITECH include the following:
Health Information Management, Revenue Cycle, Scanning and Archiving, Scheduling and Referral Management, Emergency Department Management, Cost Accounting, Data Repository, General Accounting, Human Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management, Operating Room Management, Patient Discharge Instructions, Long Term Care Solutions, Behavioral Health Solutions, and Home Health Solutions.
produce software designed to be used in conjunction with MEDITECH software.
(two offices), Norwood
, Canton
, Framingham
, and Fall River
, with a seventh planned for Freetown
. MEDITECH also has a facility in Atlanta, GA that was formerly Patient Care Technologies (PtCT).
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
-based software and service company selling information systems
Information systems
Information Systems is an academic/professional discipline bridging the business field and the well-defined computer science field that is evolving toward a new scientific area of study...
, which are installed in health care organizations throughout the world. The company was founded in 1969 by Chairman A. Neil Pappalardo.
Company History
In 1969, A. Neil Pappalardo began development of MIIS, one of several proprietary implementations of MUMPSMUMPS
MUMPS , or alternatively M, is a programming language created in the late 1960s, originally for use in the healthcare industry. It was designed for the production of multi-user database-driven applications...
, a programming language which at the time had not been standardized. MIIS users and developers later influenced efforts toward MUMPS standardization during the early 1970s; the MUMPS standard was complete by 1974 and approved by 1977. Between 1971 and 1979, Pappalardo developed various other systems, but those associated with integrated health care information remained his primary focus.
In 1982, MEDITECH adopted the then-new MAGIC programming language. MAGIC would later become integral to MEDITECH's health care information systems' implementations. In 1994, the company adopted Client/Server, a second software platform to complement MAGIC. While Client/Server utilizes the same MAGIC programming language, it runs differently. MAGIC runs all code on a central server, and clients are in effect dumb terminals. Client/Server executes the code on a user's PC, although all code remains centralized. Client server currently supports only Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
-based operating systems. MEDITECH unveiled its 6.0 platform in 2006. This platform is MEDITECH's current offering and purports an improved user interface, streamlined workflows, features to increase patient safety, and improved financial/reporting capabilities.
Markets Served
MEDITECH supplies an integrated information system for various facilities in the health care industry. This enables health care providers to track a patient's history and/or monitor ongoing treatment of chronic health problems, regardless of the patient's whereabouts. Providers are afforded immediate access to patients' medical records, which can be used to devise treatments.With over 2,200 customers worldwide, MEDITECH has extended its client base from the United States and Canada into the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and several other communities across the world, including a current venture into the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America, Mexico, and Spain.
MEDITECH recently secured a €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
750,000 deal to supply their integrated health care information system to Sheehan Medical's new private hospital, the Cork Medical Centre in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. This is MEDITECH's third Irish deal with Sheehan Medical after previously supplying their system to their other hospitals the Galway Clinic
Galway Clinic
The Galway Clinic is a private hospital in Galway, Republic of Ireland. The hospital is the site of the first private emergency department in the West of Ireland....
and Blackrock Clinic
Blackrock Clinic
Blackrock Clinic in Blackrock, Dublin was co-founded in 1984 by surgeons Joseph Sheehan, his brother Jimmy Sheehan, Maurice Neligan and Nuclear Medicine Specialist George Duffy as a private, high-tech hospital offering healthcare to privately insured patients....
.
Products and Services
MEDITECH offers software solutionSolution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
s for health care organizations of various types and sizes. Some of the software modules offered by MEDITECH include the following:
Health Information Management, Revenue Cycle, Scanning and Archiving, Scheduling and Referral Management, Emergency Department Management, Cost Accounting, Data Repository, General Accounting, Human Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management, Operating Room Management, Patient Discharge Instructions, Long Term Care Solutions, Behavioral Health Solutions, and Home Health Solutions.
Current Endeavors
MEDITECH's most recent endeavors have been focused toward improving patient safety and streamlining workflow. Some such developments include:- Working with partners and other companies to provide new technology solutions in the areas of business continuance, identity management, and RFID
- Incorporating evidence-based medicineEvidence-based medicineEvidence-based medicine or evidence-based practice aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making. It seeks to assess the strength of evidence of the risks and benefits of treatments and diagnostic tests...
into practice through integration with Zynx Health, Inc. - The development of a new OncologyOncologyOncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
product to better manage the complex needs of Oncology departments - Expanding medication management capabilities to include e-prescribing and medication reconciliation from DrFirst, Inc.
- Offering standard interoperability suites to help customers transition to emerging EHR standards
Partnerships
MEDITECH has one wholly owned subsidiary, LSS Data Systems, which was acquired in Spring 2011. At that time, Joanne Wood, MEDITECH senior vice president of client services for the MAGIC and Client/Server platforms, took on the additional titles of President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of LSS Data Systems, overseeing all operations of the company. MEDITECH South Africa, MEDITECH's corporate partner, was founded in 1982, providing software and services to the health care industry in Africa and the Middle East. Other companies such as BridgeHead SoftwareBridgeHead Software
BridgeHead Software is a healthcare data and storage management software and services company. The parent company BridgeHead Software Limited is unquoted and registered in London, England. The group is headquartered in Ashtead, Surrey in the UK....
produce software designed to be used in conjunction with MEDITECH software.
Locations
MEDITECH currently owns six facilities in eastern Massachusetts located in WestwoodWestwood, Massachusetts
Westwood is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,618 at the 2010 census. In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Westwood 13th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. Boston Magazine listed Gay Street in Westwood on its...
(two offices), Norwood
Norwood, Massachusetts
Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,602. The community was named after Norwood, England...
, Canton
Canton, Massachusetts
Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,561 at the 2010 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about 15 miles southwest of downtown Boston.- History :...
, Framingham
Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
, and Fall River
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
, with a seventh planned for Freetown
Freetown, Massachusetts
Freetown is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,870 at the 2010 census.Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the latter half of the 17th century. The town once included...
. MEDITECH also has a facility in Atlanta, GA that was formerly Patient Care Technologies (PtCT).