The Health IT Accelerator (H.I.T. Accelerator), designed to grow health care IT companies in the Cleveland region, is being launched today by BioEnterprise in partnership with a number of Cleveland region health care, research, and medical payer organizations. The novel platform for emerging companies recognizes the growing interest in and opportunities for IT entrepreneurs in the health arena.

"The H.I.T. Accelerator is a new approach to growing the region's health IT companies. It harnesses the expertise of the region's health care leadership to assist emerging companies," said Baiju R. Shah, President & CEO of BioEnterprise. "The focus is on assisting companies by providing them access to customers and business advice, putting them in a better position to continue to grow their ventures."

The H.I.T. Accelerator provides emerging health IT companies access to IT executives and decision-makers at their targeted customers, including Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Summa Health System, MetroHealth System, Akron General, SummaCare, Medical Mutual, and Case Western Reserve University. The organizations will provide critical feedback and also engage with selected companies for demonstration projects. In addition, selected companies will receive entrepreneurial assistance and mentoring by BioEnterprise, including support for business development and fundraising.

"Receiving feedback from national leaders - such as the H.I.T. Accelerator institutions - is the acid test of an emerging company's product or service," said Tim Kulbago, President and CEO of ImageIQ, a Cleveland health care IT start-up. "Armed with advice from the H.I.T. Accelerator, an emerging company can make better-than-ever strategic business decisions, knowing the advice came from objective, knowledgeable industry leaders."

"Medical Mutual of Ohio sees tremendous value in the H.I.T. Accelerator," said Joe Parent, VP, Strategic Planning, Medical Mutual of Ohio. "Beyond the new jobs H.I.T. should create, we recognize the increasing need for collaboration with our partners in the provider community and believe that information technology will help us to both increase and fine-tune our coordination of our member's care with providers."

Designing and supporting the H.I.T. Accelerator platform is Cleveland-based, online community provider, Within3. "We are pleased to be participating in this very important effort," said Lance Hill, Within3 CEO. "Our goal was to facilitate secure and convenient collaboration throughout the H.I.T. Accelerator initiative via an online community platform. In this way, we hope to contribute to the growth of the health care IT industry in Cleveland."

The H.I.T. Accelerator is live and ready for the first round of company submissions. Cleveland area health care IT companies with market-ready or in-market products and services may participate. To find out more about the H.I.T. Accelerator, contact Jim Weisman, Vice President, BioEnterprise, or visit www.bioenterprise.com/hitaccelerator.

About BioEnterprise

BioEnterprise is a business formation, recruitment, and acceleration effort designed to support the growth of bioscience companies. Located in Cleveland, BioEnterprise provides management counsel and support services to health care companies. BioEnterprise partners are Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Summa Health System, and the BioInnovation Institute in Akron. Additional technology partners include the NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland State University, NorTech, and BioOhio. The initiative comprises the collective activities of BioEnterprise and its partners' commercialization offices: the Case Office of Technology Transfer, Cleveland Clinic Innovations, University Hospitals Case Medical Center - Center for Clinical Research and Summa Enterprise Group. The combined efforts of these groups has created, recruited, and accelerated more than 100 companies in nine years. For more information, contact www.bioenterprise.com.

About Within3

Within3 is the leader in building online communities that enable healthcare professionals to efficiently connect, collaborate, and share information on a 24/7 basis. Highly branded and customized, Within3 communities energize members by providing an array of interactive capabilities. Working with health systems, medical schools, professional associations, research groups and industry, Within3's goal is to ensure that each community adds value to both organizational clients and to individual members. For more information, contact www.within3.com.