A. Neil Pappalardo, founder and chair of EHR company Meditech and a pioneer of the modern EHR industry, has died. He was 83.
Mr. Pappalardo died Jan. 27, according to a Jan. 30 news release from Meditech. He founded the EHR company Aug. 4, 1969, and remained involved with the organization until his death.
Meditech credited Mr. Pappalardo with helping establish the foundation of integrated electronic health records, including what later became known as the “one patient, one record” approach. The company said he co-authored MUMPS, described as the first healthcare-specific programming language, and used his engineering background to help spur the growth of independent healthcare software.
After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964, Mr. Pappalardo began working as a programmer at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he saw the limitations of paper-based clinical workflows.
Meditech began in a small Cambridge, Mass., office with a handful of employees and later grew into a major EHR vendor. The company now serves more than 2,000 customers in 29 countries.
The company said Mr. Pappalardo was also involved in philanthropy and education initiatives, including continued engagement with MIT and support for the Pappalardo Fellowship Program. He also supported efforts to expand access to healthcare technology globally, including using Meditech laboratory solutions in work related to AIDS in Africa.
Even after stepping down as CEO in 2010, Mr. Pappalardo continued advising the company and was involved in the development of Meditech Expanse, a web- and cloud-based EHR platform.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jane; four children; 13 grandchildren; and extended family, the company said.
Meditech President and CEO Michelle O’Connor will serve as interim chair until the company’s April board meeting, according to the release. Meditech said the family plans to keep the company’s ownership structure intact and does not expect operational changes.
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