South Pacific island group’s safety net healthcare system signs on for seven more years, plans to implement Medsphere enhancements of CareVue platform

Pago Pago, American Samoa, and Carlsbad, CA—Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of affordable and interoperable healthcare IT platform solutions, today announced that the American Samoa Medical Center Authority (ASMCA) and the American Samoa Department of Health (DOH) have extended by seven years their existing contract with Medsphere.

For the last five years, Medsphere’s CareVue® electronic health record (EHR) / revenue cycle management (RCM) solution has enhanced care and improved clinical efficiency at the Lyndon B. Johnson Tropical Medical Center (LBJ), the main facility for the American Samoa island group, as well as throughout all ASMCA and DOH clinics. The new agreement extends the relationship to 2026.

“The last five years of CareVue implementation and use have been very successful and we anticipate greater success as we continue to integrate patient care with the EHR’s full functionality,” said CEO John Faumuina.

Added CFO Emau Amosa, “The support Medsphere provides and the enhancements they are making to CareVue are indicative of constant improvement philosophy, which ultimately benefits our patients. The CareVue platform will serve us affordably well into the future, which is why we decided to extend the existing contract.”

Specifically, ASMCA’s plans for the new contract period are focused on taking advantage of Medsphere’s ongoing development efforts and expanding suite of clinical tools. In coming months, ASMCA plans to add advanced medication reconciliation, clinical and provider dashboards, vitals configuration and system optimization.

“We look at LBJ’s extended contract and addition of our most recent enhancements as a real vote of confidence for Medsphere’s business model,” said Irv Lichtenwald, Medsphere president and CEO. “It’s rewarding that we can provide a system that benefits the people of American Samoa at a price the ASMCA can afford. We want to avoid the kinds of contracts that take money from clinical initiatives to pay for healthcare IT—that counterproductive scenario will not work in American Samoa or countless other communities.”

Funded by Medicare/Medicaid block grants, U.S. Department of Interior funding and American Samoa government appropriations, LBJ embodies the idea of a community hospital system in most every way. Indeed, healthcare services include intensive care, pediatrics, maternity, surgery and emergency and primary care. The hospital organization also provides outpatient clinic services that include OB/GYN, pediatrics, ophthalmology and dental.

About LBJ Tropical Medical Center

Opened in 1968, the Lyndon B. Johnson Tropical Medical Center (LBJ) is a regional acute care facility licensed for 150 beds and located on the island of Tutuila, the main island of the American Samoa group; it serves the entire population of Tutuila, Aunu’u and the Manu’a Islands. LBJ offers a full range of primary care clinic services and some subspecialty services to the population of American Samoa.