Appirio Selects RehabCare as Cloud Pioneer of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – December 8, 2010) – Salesforce.com Dreamforce Conference — Appirio has selected RehabCare as Cloud Pioneer of the Year, an annual award given by Appirio to companies and individuals that demonstrate leadership in cloud computing initiatives and a commitment to moving their business forward using public cloud platforms. 

RehabCare is a leading provider of physical rehabilitation program management services in more than 1,260 hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities in the U.S. They own and operate 35 hospitals, employ more than 18,000 people and report $1.6B in revenue. RehabCare’s commitment to using cloud-based and mobile platforms to improve patient care while growing their business and staying ahead of complex healthcare regulations stood out among more than a dozen nominated organizations.

“We view our technology investments as core to our company’s future and critical for patient care, and we think it can be a model for others in this industry,” said Dick Escue, CIO of RehabCare. “Using cloud computing, we can do things now that we wouldn’t have even thought possible two years ago. We see it as a huge differentiator for our company and the care we can provide.”

Over the past year, RehabCare has invested in building out an integrated technology platform that has dramatically improved their patient intake and referral process, the way they track, benchmark and improve rehabilitation procedures, and the way they report and communicate progress to Medicare, patients and their families. RehabCare has standardized on platforms, such as Salesforce, Force.com, Google Apps, and Google Health, and are in the process of developing a comprehensive cloud-based Electronic Medical Record platform that will begin rolling out next year. They’ve armed thousands of therapists with iPhones and iTouches and have been highlighted by Apple for their use of the iPad in healthcare.

Appirio’s Cloud Pioneer awards program was introduced earlier this year to recognize the champions and change agents among Appirio’s customers — those who recognize the unparalleled benefits of public cloud platforms and drive projects that are not only successful but truly impactful for their organization. Each Cloud Pioneer award winner is chosen by Appirio’s leadership team, based on nominations from the company’s delivery managers and cloud architects. Other 2010 Cloud Pioneer award winners include individuals at AIG Edison, Dolby Laboratories, DeVry University, Dunkin Brands, Japan Post Network and Perceptive Software. 

“The recipients of Appirio’s Cloud Pioneer award illustrate the potential of cloud computing to shape business strategy, accelerate innovation and drive competitive advantage,” said Chris Barbin, CEO of Appirio. “The executives and IT team at RehabCare who are applying cloud and mobile technologies throughout their business exemplify every one of these benefits. We are privileged to work with them and all of our Cloud Pioneers.”

Appirio’s 2010 Cloud Pioneers
Dick Escue and Jayson Chitwood (RehabCare), Tohru Futami (AIG Edison Life), Mary Ann Lusk and John Cunningham (DeVry University), Curtis Hodge and Scott Sullivan (Dolby Laboratories), Michael Wordell, Erik Astin, Greg O’Connor and Jon Cohen (Dunkin Brands), Neale Wooten (Perceptive Software), Yoshihiko Ohta (Japan Post Network)

About Appirio
Appirio (www.appirio.com) is a cloud solution provider offering products and professional services that help enterprises accelerate their adoption of cloud applications and platforms. Appirio’s innovation and expertise has been recognized by BusinessWeek as one of America’s Most Promising Startups and by AlwaysOn as 2010 On-Demand Company of the Year. Appirio has helped more than 180 leading enterprises implement, build and manage mission critical cloud solutions using salesforce.com, Google, Workday and Amazon. We are proud to serve a wide range of customers such as Avago, the City of Los Angeles, Diversey, Dunkin Brands, Flextronics, Japan Post Network, Ltd., IMS Health, Motorola, Qualcomm, RehabCare, Safety Kleen, Starbucks and VMware, as well as the 5,000 companies that use Appirio’s products to connect and extend cloud platforms. Founded in 2006, Appirio has offices in the U.S. and Japan, and is backed by Sequoia Capital and GGV Capital.