FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Medsphere Welcomes New Chief Marketing Officer
Former Athenahealth Chief Revenue Officer Endorses Open Source Solution
ALISO VIEJO, California, November 27, 2007 - Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading commercial provider of Open Source-based electronic health record (EHR) systems and services, today announced the appointment of Richard G. (Rick) Jung as Chief Marketing Officer. With two decades in healthcare and information technology (IT), Jung's experience profile includes both sales and executive management in traditional healthcare corporations and leadership positions with the kinds of healthcare IT startups that have re-imagined the healthcare landscape in recent years.
"Rick's management experience across the healthcare industry — in traditional corporations, and 'new economy' startups — make him a tremendous asset for Medsphere," said Michael J. Doyle, Medsphere President and CEO. "Rick and I have known each other for some time from the Boston and New York healthcare communities, so I am very familiar with his skill set and reputation. Rick is an innovative thinker who, with the help of senior leadership poised to join Medsphere shortly, will be cultivating the largest collaborative open ecosystem in healthcare. Medsphere will be widely known to the healthcare community as the leading provider of economically sustainable, high quality information solutions."
From 2006 to the present, Jung operated an independent consultancy advising private equity firms, hedge funds, and their prospective healthcare IT investment partners on strategy, operations, and business development for the Web 2.0 market. From 2003 to 2006, he served as senior vice president for sales and marketing at MDeverywhere, Inc., a startup providing web-based, automated reimbursement services for physician offices. From 1999 to 2002 Jung was a member of the strategic leadership team and worked as the chief revenue officer for Athenahealth, where he managed all sales and business development for the leading provider of automated, web-based healthcare revenue cycle management solutions. Athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN) recently completed a highly successful initial public offering.
Jung's diverse healthcare experience includes a stint as executive vice president for a mergers and acquisitions firm tasked with helping managed care organizations consolidate by acquiring traditional indemnity insurance from the health insurance sector. He also served as interim president and CEO of The Care Group, where he directed turnaround activities for the troubled company. Jung's early years in healthcare were spent learning the business on the payer side from a sales and marketing perspective and as vice president and general manager for U.S. Healthcare, since acquired by Aetna.
"In recent years I have had the privilege of working on what I would consider cutting edge-type solutions in terms of making healthcare and information technology work together," Jung said. "I see Medsphere as a natural evolutionary step in that process for both the industry and myself. The creation of a truly Open Source ecosystem for healthcare will assist clinicians in their quest to enhance the way medicine is practiced and care is provided in this and other countries. I am once again privileged and humbled to be involved in such a groundbreaking effort."
Jung is a graduate of the State College of New York, Cortland, where he earned a degree in mathematics and education.
Medsphere's OpenVista platform is based on the Open Source VistA EHR system developed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, used in all VA facilities, and credited with helping turn the VA into a national leader in quality patient care. Medsphere has enhanced VistA to meet the needs of non-VA healthcare providers and added professional services, ongoing product development, and 24x7 technical support, providing the safety of a professional Open Source delivery model without expensive proprietary license fees.
The appointment of Jung to the Medsphere executive team follows recent major announcements that have included Doyle taking the helm of the company, the selection of OpenVista at Century City Doctors Hospital in Los Angeles, and an important partnership with Keane to deliver integrated best-of-suite clinical and financial software. The company's current activities also include OpenVista implementations at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
About Medsphere Systems Corporation
As the Open Source source for healthcare, Medsphere is revolutionizing the industry by delivering commercially supported software based on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' proven VistA electronic health record (EHR). Medsphere offers healthcare an economically sustainable and comprehensive solution in OpenVista®, a portfolio of products and professional services for hospitals, clinics, and integrated delivery networks. The company addresses the capital constraints of the healthcare industry through an innovative subscription-based pricing model. Medsphere's experienced team of healthcare technology professionals and unique suite of implementation tools deliver a fluid transition to a comprehensive healthcare information technology solution. Founded in 2002, Medsphere is backed financially by Azure Capital Partners, Thomas Weisel Venture Partners, and the Wasatch Venture Fund. For more information, visit www.medsphere.com.Contacts
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Corporate: Rick Jung Chief Operating Officer Medsphere Systems Corporation (949) 297-8182 office rick.jung@medsphere.com |
Media: Marisa Borgasano Schwartz Communications (415) 512-0770 (office) medsphere@schwartz-pr.com |