July 19, 2010 – Tampa, Fla. – Sage North America Healthcare Division, providing practice management software and services to more than 80,000 physicians in North America, today announced several tools it is providing to practices, clients and members of the healthcare community to help them navigate the final Stage 1 meaningful use rules recently announced under the 2009 HITECH Act.

“With the Stage 1 finalized rules, time is of the essence as healthcare providers race against the clock to prepare for and comply with the criteria,” said Betty Otter-Nickerson, President of Sage Healthcare. “With more than three decades of experience in this industry, we continue to be a knowledgeable and trusted source of information for our clients.”

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was created to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology and includes more than $20 billion to aid in the development of a robust IT infrastructure for healthcare and to assist providers and other entities in adopting and using health IT.

Along with the Stage 1 meaningful use rules, a separate final rule was published establishing comprehensive guidelines that vendors’ products must meet for functionality, interoperability and security.  Along with a third final rule released in June establishing a temporary certification program for testing and certification of vendor systems, the critical pieces are all in place to implement Stage 1 of the three-stage federal EHR incentive program designed to improve healthcare outcomes and patient care.

About Sage North America
Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs 4,000 people and supports 3.1 million small and midsized business customers including more than 80,000 physicians. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 13,100 people and supports 6.2 million customers worldwide.