DETROIT and LAKE ALMANOR, Calif., May 12, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Compuware Corporation (Nasdaq:CPWR) and the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems (AMDIS) today announced that they have joined forces to launch www.meaningfuluse.org. This collaborative web site will promote and advance the national dialogue and education around "meaningful use." The new site gives the healthcare information technology (HIT) community a single, central location to access resources, collaborate, influence and discuss the definition of "meaningful use" and to learn how to take advantage of the HITECH Stimulus funds.

"As thought leaders in applied healthcare IT, Chief Medical Information Officers (CMIOs) will greatly benefit from meaningfuluse.org because this topic is of key importance to accomplishing the critical mass of HIT implementation in America," said William F. Bria, M.D., AMDIS Board President, CMIO at Shriners Hospital for Children. "Interoperability, which is often mentioned as a characteristic of EMR systems, is in fact the issue of transmission of necessary patient information wherever it resides to where it is needed, in a secure, complete and patient-centric manner. We all are looking forward to achieving this transformation in the delivery of medicine in America."

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly known as the stimulus bill, is providing billions in funding for healthcare IT. One of the stipulations for providers to qualify for money is that they must show "meaningful use" of a qualified or certified EHR (electronic health record). Currently, no clear federal definition exists to explain what qualifies and the healthcare IT community is in heated debate over proposed definitions and the forecasted impact on reimbursement and the business of healthcare.

"AMDIS members are 2,000 of the most influential and experienced clinicians with leadership roles in healthcare IT worldwide, so meaningfuluse.org will be an important resource to them," said Richard L. Rydell, AMDIS Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director. "This forum will provide both the latest news and analysis of exactly how the U.S. is going to tackle the task of finally bringing healthcare into the information age."

meaningfuluse.org is a community website that provides a variety of resources on the term "meaningful use" including:

   * An open discussion forum to learn from, discuss and collaborate
     with peers;

   * A news source to see industry-related articles rated by peers
     for relevance;

   * A resource warehouse to find relevant web links to government
     or third-party sites that contain helpful references on the
     topic;

   * RSS feeds on discussion boards and news to stay abreast of
     the latest conversations and announcements.

"Compuware is pleased to support this important web site," said Mike Wilson, Senior IT Director of Clinical Information Systems at Compuware. "As the Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) narrows down the definition of meaningful use, it's critical that clinicians and the HIT community at-large have a voice in those definitions, so that they will truly be applicable and practical in the clinical practices. meaningfuluse.org gives clinicians their own online community to openly discuss and influence this important topic."

Get in on the discussion of "meaningful use" and voice your opinion at: www.meaningfuluse.org

As the leader in advancing IT Service Management solutions for hospitals, Compuware understands that EMR performance is critical to physician productivity and overall EMR adoption. Measuring and managing these factors will likely be important toward achieving "meaningful use" and qualifying for stimulus funds.

Compuware's subsidiary, Covisint enables physicians accelerated, on-demand access to information and applications, including EMRs, across the healthcare delivery system. We understand that readily available applications can assist and drive physician adoption in achieving the goals set forth in obtaining stimulus funding.

Compuware Corporation

Founded in 1973, Compuware provides software, experts and best practices to ensure applications work well and deliver business value. Our unique approach, Business Service Delivery, helps CIOs optimize end-to-end application performance for leading businesses around the world, including 46 of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies. Learn more at: http://www.compuware.com.

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About AMDIS

Founded in 1997, the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems (AMDIS) is the premier non-profit professional organization for physicians dedicated to applying information technology to improve the practice of medicine and advance the field of Applied Medical Informatics. AMDIS has more than 1,900 physician members and 100 associate members worldwide and is the home for the "connected" CMIO. More information about AMDIS and the 18th Annual Physician-Computer Connection Symposium, July 15-17, 2009 can be found at: www.amdis.org

The Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems (AMDIS) logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6166