Kim Roman
703-293-2331
kim.roman@apptis.com

Apptis Healthcare IT expert leads public private-partnership to close the gap in health IT for rural and underserved populations in America

CHANTILLY, VA and WASHINGTON, DC – June 10, 2008 – Apptis, Inc., a leading IT services and solutions provider to the federal marketplace, announced today its participation in the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (HHS/OMH), the Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc. (SHIRE) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The formation of the collaborative led by Dr. Garth N. Graham, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health in the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, and is a public-private partnership pledging to close the gap in health IT for rural and underserved populations.

The collaborative leadership team will officially launch the collaborative at the National Health IT Week Capitol Hill Press Conference being held today at 11:30am at the Cannon Terrace, Capitol Hill.

While many initiatives seeking to reform the healthcare system focuses only on quality and cost, Apptis with the collaborative want to address the disparities in healthcare, by leveraging technology through outreach and education, workforce development and training and public policy along with finance and sustainability.

On Thursday, June 12, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, the collaborative will publicly launch the initiative and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) symbolizing the commitment from the public and private sector to work together to promote consumer/patient-centered healthcare through advocacy, education, demonstrations and collaboration. In addition, there will be a series of panel discussions to outline the initiative’s objectives and plan for action. 

Mary Walker, vice president for the Apptis Health Solutions Sector, leads this initiative as the newly appointed Executive-in-Residence for HIMSS. In this role, Ms. Walker is the voice for these organizations to support the government’s transformation of healthcare.

“Mary Walker is the perfect leader to bring us all together. Her years of experience working in the federal health IT industry have garnered her great respect – and that combined with her passion, work ethic, and enthusiasm represent the commitment of the stakeholders well,” said Bert Notini, CEO of Apptis. “We are very proud to stand alongside the Department of Health and Human Services, SHIRE, and HIMSS to create awareness of an issue that is affecting a large portion of our population in a tremendous way. We will certainly do everything we can to facilitate change in health IT through the advancement of our technology services.”

Apptis’ Health Solutions Sector provides tailored healthcare solutions for organizations in the Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Apptis is also a Diamond Member of HIMSS.

"We are pleased that Apptis was the first HIMSS Diamond Member corporation to participate in our new Institute for e-Health Policy Executive-in-Residence initiative," said HIMSS Vice President of Government Relations Dave Roberts. "We are excited to be working with Ms. Walker and look forward to the great success that we know will be achieved through this initiative which supports our goal to transform healthcare for all using information technology and management systems."

National Health IT Week 2008, held the week of June 9-13, 2008, is the leading forum for developing common ground to advance the adoption of health information technologies transforming health and care in the U.S. Organizations with diverse perspectives on healthcare will gather in Washington, DC, to work together under one banner with the goal of improving health care efficiency, quality, cost-effectiveness and patient safety through health IT.

About Apptis
For more than two decades, Apptis has been providing IT services and solutions to the Federal Government. Applying leading technologies to diverse needs, Apptis delivers inspiring solutions that are agile, trusted, and business-aligned for optimized performance. The company's robust enterprise-wide capabilities include Software & System Engineering, Enterprise Management, Network Engineering, Information Assurance and Program Management. The company values trust, respect, and integrity with a steadfast customer focus, a passion to win, and a belief in ourselves. Apptis is privately held with headquarters in Chantilly, VA.

Megan Grenter
LEWIS PR
202-349-3775
megang@lewispr.com