The year is 1965 and at Massachusetts General Hospital, Neil Pappalardo is beginning to see the possibility for change in healthcare’s paper-based systems. The MIT grad was inspired to help make the process smoother and developed the first automated laboratory system for hospital use. Soon after, his interest in clinical computing led to the creation of MGH Utility Multi-Programming System (MUMPS) which quickly became the industry benchmark for medical programming language.
Realizing the potential for the role of computer systems in healthcare, Pappalardo founded Meditech in 1968 and it officially opened for business in 1969. Over the next decade, work was done to standardize the MUMPS language and was approved in 1977. While Pappalardo developed other applications in the early years, integrated health care information systems remained the mainstay of Meditech. Pappalardo was company president and CEO untile he moved into the Chairman position in 1993. His passion for the technology and business continues to guide the company’s direction into the future.
Since then, Meditech has become the leading vendor of electronic health record software and established themselves as a global presence with over 2,300 customers spanning 22 countries. They take pride in their partnerships, with over eighty percent of their customer relationships extending ten years and longer. Meditech is proud to partner with providers across the continuum of care and offer services ranging from health information management systems, workflow management software, and supply chain solutions.
The centerpiece of Meditech’s product line is Expanse, their web-based electronic health record (EHR) platform. It’s purpose-built to work with the federal government’s new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and streamlines the complex process of accessing healthcare data whenever and wherever a provider needs it. Designed with the future of digital health in mind, Meditech’s new ‘virtual visits’ and ‘patient and health portal’ ensure that people are never too far from their healthcare providers.
“With Expanse, we identified the need for an EHR for the post-Meaningful Use healthcare paradigm,” said Howard Messing, Meditech President and CEO. “Our clinicians deserve an open, dynamic workspace that allows them to connect care the way that works best for them and their patients. We don’t believe this is something that should be exclusive, or come at an exorbitant cost. This is the future. This is the freedom and usability that everyone in healthcare should be accustomed to.”
