Archive for December, 2010
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0 Allscripts Sunrise Electronic Health Record Receives ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 Certification as ‘Complete EHR’
Dec 29, 2010. Press Releases.Company’s Complete Line of Acute Care, Emergency Department and Ambulatory EHR Solutions Now Certified for Meaningful Use
CHICAGO, Dec. 28, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) announced today that Sunrise Acute Care, Version 5.5 and Sunrise Emergency Care Version 5.5 are 2011/2012 CCHIT compliant and were certified as Complete EHRs on December 21, 2010 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB), in accordance with the applicable eligible provider and hospital certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The 2011/2012 criteria support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100901/CG58147LOGO)
Additionally, Sunrise Acute Care Modular Version 5.5, Sunrise Emergency Care Modular Version 5.5, Sunrise Ambulatory Modular Version 5.5, and Sunrise Patient Portal Version 5.5 are all CCHIT 2011/2012 compliant and were also certified as EHR Modules on December 21, 2010 by CCHIT, in accordance with the applicable eligible provider and hospital certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Allscripts elected to submit Sunrise Acute Care and Emergency Care for certification as both a Complete and Modular EHR to accommodate hospitals that prefer to keep an existing third-party analytics product. Hospitals can either use the Sunrise Clinical Analytics embedded within Sunrise Acute Care or Sunrise Emergency Care to demonstrate the quality measure reporting requirement of Meaningful Use, or choose to integrate their third-party system to with Sunrise Acute Care Modular to satisfy the requirement. That third-party reporting system, however, will be required under ARRA rules to be ARRA certified as an EHR module, otherwise the hospital will have to certify the reporting module themselves – a time-consuming and expensive process.
Three clinical components of Allscripts Sunrise 5.5 EHR were previously certified by CCHIT in July. Those components included: Sunrise Clinical Manager 2011 Suite, Version 5.5, Sunrise Ambulatory Care 2011 Suite, Version 5.5 and Sunrise Emergency Care 2011 Suite, Version 5.5.
“Certification of our Sunrise Acute Care, Emergency Department and Ambulatory Electronic Health Records is an important milestone for the company as it marks the completion of ARRA certification for our full portfolio of ambulatory and acute EHRs, a commitment we made to our clients,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts.
“The Federal incentives for EHR adoption represent an unparalleled opportunity for healthcare organizations to implement tools which can help improve healthcare quality and efficiency. We believe our ARRA-certified products, coupled with our experience delivering meaningful value for tens of thousands of physician practices and hospitals across the country, make Allscripts an ideal organization to partner with as we create a connected community of health.”
The ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that Complete EHRs meet all of the 2011/2012 criteria and EHR Modules meet one or more – but not all – of the criteria approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for either eligible provider or hospital technology. Companies offering ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certified EHR modules may return to test additional criteria and certify their products as Complete EHRs later. Companies certifying products early in the ONC-ATCB certification process must quickly adapt their products to meet the evolving nature of the NIST test procedures, particularly for electronic prescribing. ONC-ATCB product certification updates will be available at http://www.cchit.org as they occur.
“CCHIT is pleased to be testing and certifying products so that companies are now able to offer these products to providers who wish to purchase and implement certified EHR technology and achieve meaningful use in time for the 2011-2012 incentives,” said Karen M. Bell, M.D., M.S.S., Chair, CCHIT.
2011/2012 certification conferred by CCHIT does not represent an endorsement of the certified EHR technology by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor does it guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.
Sunrise Acute Care
Sunrise Acute Care Version 5.5, certification number, CC-1112-498885-5, meets all certification criteria under the hospital domain.
The clinical quality measures to which Sunrise Acute Care Version 5.5 has been certified include: NQF 0436-0441 and NQF 0371-0376.
Sunrise Emergency Care
Sunrise Emergency Care Version 5.5, certification number CC-1112-498885-1 meets all certification criteria under the hospital domain.
The clinical quality measures to which Sunrise Emergency Care Version 5.5 has been certified include: NQF 0436-0441 and NQF 0371-0376.
Sunrise Acute Care Modular
Sunrise Acute Care Module Set Version 5.5, certification number CC-1112-498885-6, meets the following certification criteria under the hospital domain: 170.302a-170.302v and 170.306a-170.306h.
Sunrise Emergency Care Modular
Sunrise Emergency Care Module Set Version 5.5, certification number CC-1112-498885-2, meets the following criteria under the hospital domain: 170.302a-170.302v and 170.306a-170.306h.
Sunrise Ambulatory Care Modular
Sunrise Ambulatory Care Module Set Version 5.5, certification number CC-1112-498885-7, meets the following certification criteria under the eligible provider domain: 170.302a-170.302v and 170.304a-170.304f and 170.304h-170.304j.
Sunrise Ambulatory Care Modular Version 5.5 successfully demonstrated compliance with the required Core and Alternative Core EP Quality Measures and the following three “Non Core and Optional Core” Quality Measures: NQF 0067, NQF 0027 and NQF 0074.
Sunrise Patient Portal Modular
Sunrise Patient Portal Version 5.5, certification number CC-1112-498885-3 meets the following certification criteria under the eligible provider domain: 170.304g and 170.304h. Sunrise Patient Portal Version 5.5, certification number CC-1112-498885-4 meets the following certification criteria under the hospital domain: 170.306d and 170.306e.
The additional software Sunrise Patient Portal Version 5.5 relied upon to demonstrate compliance includes Sunrise Acute Care for the hospital domain and Sunrise Ambulatory Care for the eligible provider domain.
About Allscripts
Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) provides innovative solutions that empower all stakeholders across the healthcare continuum to deliver world-class outcomes. The company’s clinical, financial, connectivity and information solutions for hospitals, physicians and post-acute organizations are the essential technologies that enable a connected community of health. To learn more about Allscripts, please visit www.allscripts.com, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
About CCHIT
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. The Commission has been certifying electronic health record technology since 2006 and is approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB). More information on CCHIT, CCHIT Certified® products and ONC-ATCB certified electronic health record technology is available at http://cchit.org.
About ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification
The ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that EHR technology is capable of meeting the 2011/2012 criteria approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). The certifications include Complete EHRs, which meet all of the 2011/2012 criteria for either eligible provider or hospital technology and EHR Modules, which meet one or more – but not all – of the criteria. ONC-ATCB certification aligns with Health Information Technology: Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology published in the Federal Register in July 2010 and strictly adheres to the test procedures published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the time of testing. ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification conferred by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) does not represent an endorsement of the certified EHR technology by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor does it guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.
“CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.
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0 EHR Incentive Registration Starts January 3, 2011
Dec 28, 2010. News.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) recently announced January 3rd, 2011 as the registration date for providers wishing to participate in the Health Information Technology for Clinical and Economic Health (HITECH) stimulus program. Just as a reminder, HITECH will reimburse up to $44,000 per provider under Medicare and up to $64,000 under Medicaid for those eligible professionals (EPs) that purchase and implement a certified electronic health record (EHR) system. EPs must also utilize their system in accordance with the meaningful use guidelines.
Registration will open on January 3rd for EPs and eligible hospitals (EHs) that want to participate in the Medicare program. Medicaid registration will also open for EPs and EHs in Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. California, Missouri, and North Dakota should begin registration in February. Other states may initiate their programs in the spring and summer. Registration will take place through the CMS website.
Here are some additional key dates for the HITECH stimulus program:
• January 2011 – Some states may begin issuing Medicaid incentive payments
• April 2011 – Attestation for Medicare begins
• May 2011 – First Medicare payments issued
• Oct 3, 2011 – Last day for EPs to begin demonstrating meaningful use for 2011
• Dec 31, 2011 – 2011 payment year ends for EPs.If you currently have an EHR system, be sure to register for your incentives on January 3rd. You will need to pay close attention to the meaningful use metrics. You must qualify for all 15 core requirements, and five of the ten menu set requirements in order to receive your payments. As always, we urge everyone to scrutinize the security requirement. You must conduct a risk assessment and begin remediation to fulfill this criteria. Keep in mind that risk assessments are not typical parts of EHR systems, and will be easily overlooked.
If you do not currently have an EHR, you will need to implement in 2011 in order to receive the full Medicare reimbursement. You should not rush your EHR decision just to qualify for incentive payments; EHR can provide many benefits regardless of whether your practice participates in the HITECH program. However, if you would like to participate, your practice should not unnecessarily delay its EHR decision. Many experts predict an increase in prices and implementation delays as EPs try to qualify for meaningful use en masse. Please feel free to contact us if you would like any additional information about EHR, risk assessments, or the HITECH program.
Ryan Ricks
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0 CMS Announces Key Dates for EHR Incentive Programs In 2011
Dec 27, 2010. Implementation.Have you received your check from HITECH and ARRA stimulus yet? Many will, starting in 2011…
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0 Ingenix CareTracker Certification Helps Physicians Qualify for Health IT Incentives
Dec 27, 2010. Press Releases.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) has certified that the Ingenix CareTracker™ electronic health records (EHR) system is a Complete EHR in accordance with the applicable Eligible Provider certification criteria adopted by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“The more than 10,000 medical professionals who use Ingenix CareTracker software can be assured that their system supports their efforts to demonstrate meaningful use. As meaningful use requirements continue to evolve, our cloud-based system will enable Ingenix to provide system updates automatically for all users.”
The certification means that Ingenix CareTracker EHR technology meets the 2011/2012 criteria set forth by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures that eligible providers must meet to qualify for funding as prescribed by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). CCHIT is an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB).
“Ingenix’s commitment to helping physicians improve care coordination, quality and safety through the use of health IT is reflected in the certification that CareTracker software supports requirements for meaningful use,” said Steve Tolle, senior vice president of physician solutions at Ingenix. “The more than 10,000 medical professionals who use Ingenix CareTracker software can be assured that their system supports their efforts to demonstrate meaningful use. As meaningful use requirements continue to evolve, our cloud-based system will enable Ingenix to provide system updates automatically for all users.”
“It is important that demonstrating meaningful use does not add to the administrative burden on physicians in small practices, even as federal incentives encourage and facilitate the purchase of health IT systems to improve quality and efficiency in patient care,” said Dr. Joseph Heyman, chairman of the Ingenix Physician Advisory Board. “It is my hope that the certification program will ensure that the technology itself will accomplish all required recording, calculating and reporting – with minimal intervention by the physician – and that all physicians and their patients will enjoy the potential benefits of this technology.”
Ingenix CareTracker version 7 received certification on December 7, 2010. The certification number is CC-1112-183916-2. The clinical quality measures to which Ingenix CareTracker version 7 has been certified include NQF 0013 (Hypertension: Blood Pressure Measurement), NQF 0024 (Weight Assessment and Counseling for Children and Adolescents), NQF 0028 (Preventive Care and Screening Measure Pair: a. Tobaccos Use Assessment, b. Tobacco Cessation Intervention), NQF 0031 (Breast Cancer Screening), NQF 0032 (Cervical Cancer Screening), NQF 0034 (Colorectal Cancer Screening), NQF 0038 (Childhood Immunization Status), NQF 0041 (Preventive Care and Screening: Influenza Immunization for Patients ≥ 50 Years Old) and NQF 0421 (Adult Weight Screening and Follow-Up). Additional software used in testing, included SureScripts prescription routing, medication history and drug formulary; Ingenix HealthTracker patient portal technology; and Wolters Kluwer Medi-Span drug information and drug interactions databases.
The ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that Complete EHRs meet all of the 2011/2012 criteria and EHR Modules meet one or more – but not all – of the criteria approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for either eligible provider or hospital technology. 2011/2012 certification conferred by CCHIT does not represent an endorsement of the certified EHR technology by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor does it guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.
About Ingenix CareTracker
The Ingenix CareTracker solution includes a CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR system that saves physicians time and money by helping them access important clinical knowledge and patient medical information at the point of care. The solution enables clinicians to enter, retrieve and correlate patient information at the point of care, and features connections to thousands of labs, hospitals, pharmacies and commercial and government health plans. The Ingenix CareTracker solution fully integrates all of the operational functions of a physician practice, simplifying administrative tasks such as billing, scheduling and documentation.
Ingenix provides a package of interest-free financing and meaningful use guarantees that eliminate the up-front costs of implementing an EHR system. Because the Ingenix CareTracker EHR solution costs less than $5,000 per year per physician, federal stimulus funding may cover most or all of the subscription costs for the service through the end of the ARRA reimbursement period, depending on the composition of a physician’s patient mix.
For more information about Ingenix CareTracker solutions, visit www.ingenix.com/ehr.
About CCHIT
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. The Commission has been certifying electronic health record technology since 2006, and is an ONC-ATCB by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More information on CCHIT, CCHIT Certified® products and ONC-ATCB certified electronic health record technology is available at http://cchit.org.
“CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.
About Ingenix
Ingenix is a leading provider of health information, technology and consulting services. Organizations, institutions, businesses and government agencies that comprise the health care system depend on Ingenix solutions and insights to improve their performance. Visit www.ingenix.com for more information.
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0 athenahealth Named an Approved EHR Solution Provider by Colorado Regional Extension Center
Dec 27, 2010. Press Releases.WATERTOWN, Mass. & DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–athenahealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN), a leading provider of web-based practice management, electronic health record (EHR), and patient communication services to medical groups, today announced that the Colorado Regional Extension Center (CO-REC), has selected athenahealth’s Electronic Health Record service, athenaClinicals®, to be on its list of approved integrated clinical solutions used to help more than 2,200 participating primary care physicians throughout the State of Colorado purchase an EHR. CO-REC is an initiative of six organizations led by CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization. According to CO-REC, two-thirds of Colorado physicians have not yet installed or begun using EHRs in their medical practices despite the federal reimbursement program that begins January 3, 2011.
“There is a groundswell of understanding building around the distinctions of athenahealth’s cloud-based EHR service, and the endorsement by RECs across the country is further accelerating the education curve to our benefit”
athenaClinicals is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on September 30, 2010, by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable eligible provider certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). The 2011/2012 criteria support the Stage 1 Meaningful Use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
“There is a groundswell of understanding building around the distinctions of athenahealth’s cloud-based EHR service, and the endorsement by RECs across the country is further accelerating the education curve to our benefit,” said Jonathan Bush, Chairman and CEO of athenahealth. “A cloud-based service model like ours that delivers knowledge and services over the Internet can ensure that 100% of athenaClinicals clients stay compliant with Meaningful Use criteria, even as changes are introduced. Software, on the other hand, has to be rewritten, repurchased, and reloaded onto servers in order to keep pace with shifts in the administration of healthcare. We are pleased to be recognized as an approved EHR solution by the Colorado REC as the state helps primary care physicians qualify solutions and move the needle on low adoption rates.”
athenahealth recently extended the timeframe in which doctors can qualify for its federal stimulus bonus payment guarantee program, which assures that the company’s web-based services will help eligible doctors across the nation meet EHR certification requirements for achieving Meaningful Use and thereby qualify for reimbursement funds authorized by the HITECH Act. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services formally announced the final definition of Meaningful Use on July 13, 2010. With this deadline extension, physicians will now have until June 30, 2011, to participate in the program. Please visit www.athenahealth.com/bonus to learn more about athenahealth’s EHR and federal stimulus bonus payment guarantee program.
For the latest athenahealth news and information, please visit the news section of our website. You can also follow athenahealth on Twitter @ twitter.com/athenahealth.
About athenahealth
athenahealth, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet-based business services for physician practices. athenahealth’s service offerings are based on proprietary web-native practice management and electronic health record (EHR) software, a continuously updated payer knowledge-base, integrated back-office service operations, and automated and live patient communication services. For more information, please visit www.athenahealth.com or call (888) 652-8200.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the anticipated benefits and potential for meaningful use of athenahealth’s service offerings and the nature of prospective markets for those offerings. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and uncertainties include, among other things: the risk that our service offerings will not operate in the manner that we expect, due to design flaws, security breaches, or otherwise; potential interruptions or delays in our internet-based service offerings; our reliance upon third parties, such as computer hardware, software, data-hosting, and internet infrastructure providers, which reliance may result in failures or disruptions in our service offerings; errors or omissions included in our payer and clinical intelligence rules engine and database; and the evolving and complex government regulatory compliance environment in which we and our clients operate. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. athenahealth undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances, or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by athenahealth, please see the disclosure contained in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available on the Investors section of our website at http://www.athenahealth.com and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
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0 Electronic health records incentives registration starts Jan. 3, 2011
Dec 22, 2010. News, Press Releases.CMS, ONC Outline Resources to Assist Eligible Providers
Today the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced the availability of registration for the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs. CMS and ONC encouraged broad participation and outlined online and in-person resources that are in place to assist eligible professionals and eligible hospitals who wish to participate.
Beginning Jan. 3, 2011, registration will be available for eligible health care professionals and eligible hospitals who wish to participate in the Medicare EHR incentive program. On January 3, registration in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program will also be available in Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. In February, registration will open in California, Missouri, and North Dakota. Other states likely will launch their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs during the spring and summer of 2011.
“With the start of registration, these landmark programs get underway, and patients, providers, and the nation can begin to enjoy the benefits of widespread adoption of electronic health records,” said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD. “CMS has many resources available to help providers register and participate, and we look forward to working with eligible professionals and eligible hospitals to facilitate the process, beginning on January 3rd and going forward.”
“It’s time to get connected,” said David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. “ONC and CMS have worked together over many months to prepare for the startup on January 3rd. ONC’s Certified HIT Product List includes more than 130 certified EHR systems or modules and is updated frequently. ONC also has hands-on assistance available across the country through 62 Regional Extension Centers
We look forward to continuing to work with CMS to assist eligible providers in 2011 and future years.”Eligible professionals and eligible hospitals must register in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs. They can do so, starting Jan. 3, 2011, at a registration site maintained by CMS.
To prepare for registration, interested providers should first familiarize themselves with the incentive programs’ requirements by visiting CMS’ Official Web Site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. The site provides general and detailed information on the programs, including tabs on the path to payment, eligibility, meaningful use, certified EHR technology, and frequently asked questions.
CMS announced the following key dates for the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs’ first year:
• Jan. 3, 2011 – Registration for the Medicare EHR incentive program begins.
• Jan. 3, 2011 –States that are ready may launch their incentive programs for Medicaid providers.
• January 2011 – Some state agencies begin issuing Medicaid EHR incentive payments.
• April 2011 – Attestation for the Medicare EHR incentive program begins.
• May 2011 – Issuing of Medicare EHR incentive payments expected to begin.
• July 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR incentive program for federal FY 2011.
• Sept. 30, 2011 – Federal FY 2011 payment year ends at midnight for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs).
• Oct. 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year 2011 to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR incentive program.
• Nov. 30, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals and CAHs to register and attest to receive an incentive payment for federal fiscal year 2011.
• Dec. 31, 2011 – Calendar 2011 payment year ends for eligible professionals.Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments will be available to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) when they adopt certified EHR technology and successfully demonstrate “meaningful use” of the technology in ways that improve quality, safety, and effectiveness of patient-centered care.
Professionals who meet the eligibility requirements for both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs must select which program they wish to participate in when they register. They cannot participate in both programs; however, after receiving payment, they may change their program selection once before 2015. Hospitals that are eligible for both programs can receive payments from both Medicare and Medicaid.
Some states will launch their Medicaid EHR incentive programs beginning Jan. 3, 2011, but most will launch their programs during the spring and summer. Eligible providers with questions about their state’s launch date should contact their state Medicaid agency. Eligible providers seeking to participate in the Medicaid programs must initiate registration at CMS’ registration site but must complete the process through an eligibility verification site maintained by their state Medicaid agency.
Under the EHR incentive programs, eligible professionals can receive as much as $44,000 over a five-year period through Medicare. For Medicaid, eligible professionals can receive as much as $63,750 over six years. Under both Medicare and Medicaid, eligible hospitals may receive millions of dollars for implementing and meaningfully using certified EHR technology.
“The benefits of EHRs are widely recognized, and support for the incentive programs is strong in the health care field and among policymakers,” Dr. Berwick said. “The changeover from paper to electronic records will be challenging for clinicians and hospitals, but CMS and ONC have taken steps to ease the transition. We’ve provided flexibility in meeting the meaningful use requirements, both agencies have conducted extensive outreach, and we have the resources in place to help providers acquire certified EHR technology and meet the programs’ requirements. Immediate registration is not required, but we encourage eligible providers to sign up as soon as they have certified EHR technology and are prepared to participate. We are ready to help.”
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0 Health IT Blogger John Lynn Recognizes XLEMR
Dec 21, 2010. News.Well-known and respected health information technology blogger, John Lynn, commented last week about XLEMR in his twitter feed. In addition to twitter, John also runs two blogs, EMR and HIPAA, and EMR and EHR. John’s topics include everything about electronic medical and health records (EMR/EHR), implementation, selection, HITECH stimulus, meaningful use, EHR certification, and HIPAA.
Recently, John was hosting a discussion on EMR and EHR about “unconventional” EHR systems. Pursuant to that topic, we sent John an example of our Electronic Encounter Form (EEF) and history note template. After reviewing our software, he stated on twitter, “I’m completely amazed by the XLEMR… It’s such a radically different approach to EMR, it’s astounding.”
We certainly appreciate John’s kind words. Most EHR software utilizes the typical three-tiered architecture, where the user inputs data to a graphical user interface (GUI), which sits on top of software that ultimately processes data stored in a large database, such as MySQL or Oracle. Although tried-and-true, this three-tiered architecture introduces a level of complexity and expense that is not necessary for most small and medium-sized practices.
We designed XLEMR to integrate directly into the Windows desktop and Microsoft Office. This gives us a few advantages. It makes XLEMR simple. Rather than learning a whole new system, users interact with Windows and MS Office, which is already familiar to the majority of medical staff. It allows XLEMR to be mobile; we don’t depend on a constant internet connection or a database server. This lets you see patients on the move without needing an expensive and unreliable air card. Our architecture encourages efficiency. Because we use MS Office as a building block, it allows us to quickly and easily customize our EHR to look like the forms and templates you already use in your practice. This cuts down on training time, workflow re-engineering, and lost productivity.
If you are interested in an EHR that can conform to your practice, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to conduct a no-pressure, no-obligation needs analysis and custom demonstration for your practice. Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the web at www.xlemr.com.
We also urge you to follow John Lynn on Twitter @techguy, on www.emrandhipaa.com, and www.emrandehr.com. John brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective into the EHR/Health IT space. All of us at XLEMR follow his blogs; it really helps us keep abreast of what is going on in the market. Please check him out.
Ryan Ricks
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0 Sage a Preferred Vendor of South Florida Regional Extension Center
Dec 16, 2010. Press Releases.TAMPA, FL–(Marketwire – December 14, 2010) – Sage Healthcare Division, a unit of Sage North America, announced today it has been named a preferred vendor by South Florida Regional Extension Center (REC). Sage will make the ONC-ATCB certified Sage Intergy Meaningful Use Edition available to the center’s thousands of participating healthcare providers throughout the eight-county region.
Sage Healthcare Division is a major provider of electronic health records (EHR) and practice management software and solutions, serving approximately 80,000 physicians in North America, and has been named a preferred EHR vendor for numerous RECs including New York eHealth Collaborative, Ohio Health Information Partnership, Missouri Health Information Technology Assistance Center and Massachusetts eHealth Institute.
Sage Intergy Meaningful Use Edition, a certified meaningful use software solution, is a comprehensive clinical, financial and administrative solution that empowers physicians to advance the quality and efficiency of care they deliver. The Sage Intergy family of products includes integrated practice management, electronic health records, clinical and business intelligence and a Web-based portal for online patient engagement. Providers can access Sage Intergy Meaningful Use Edition from multiple practice locations, from home, or other remote locations either through a central patient database server, or as a Sage-hosted solution on a monthly subscription basis.
Sage Intergy Meaningful Use Edition easily tracks the details of a patient’s clinical history, shares and manages clinical information and combines complex medical practice functions into easy-to-navigate menus. Sage Intergy features centralized financial operations including billing, reporting, task management, and fully integrates with EDI services, Sage Intergy Practice Portal, Sage Intergy RIS and Sage Practice Analytics.
The South Florida REC was formed to assist healthcare providers in adopting EHRs and achieve meaningful use. The Office of the National Coordinator tasked RECs with helping physicians adopt EHR systems and qualify for the financial incentives that come with achieving meaningful use standards.
South Florida REC will partner with physicians and practices to provide them subsidies, tools, services and EHR guidance. Providers may seek REC assistance for free. The REC is part of an extensive network of more than 60 Regional Extension Centers across North America that serves as a neutral source for EHR and health information technology (HIT) as providers seek to navigate EHR options and select vendors that meet meaningful use requirements.
“Sage continues its alignment with RECs to support the mission of serving all physicians as they move toward EHR adoption,” said Ken Ernsting, Vice President of Business Development for Sage Healthcare Division. “South Florida is among the group of exceptional organizations assisting physicians as they navigate the new and continually evolving healthcare economy.”
Clinics eligible to utilize South Florida REC’s subsidized services include Priority Primary Care Providers in the area of family medicine, obstetrics, and gynecology, general internal or pediatric medicine. In addition, practices must be either individual or a small group practices (defined as 10 or fewer professionals with prescriptive privileges in the practice) primarily focused on primary care; public and critical access hospitals; and community health centers and rural health clinics.
About South Florida Regional Extension Center
The South Florida Regional Extension Center (REC) was established to promote and facilitate the adoption of electronic health records by health care providers in eight Florida counties from Key West to Vero Beach. Funded through the Office of National Coordinator of Health Information Technology and coordinated by a collaboration of health organizations, the nonprofit South Florida REC has already enrolled hundreds of physicians and hopes to eventually serve 2,500 with assessment, qualified hardware and software vendors, cost discounts, training, support and maintenance.About Sage Healthcare Division
Sage Healthcare Division provides integrated electronic health records, EDI applications and practice management systems to approximately 80,000 physicians and thousands of ambulatory care practices throughout North America. These systems enable physicians and practice managers to better manage their practices and improve profitability. Sage Healthcare Division is based in Tampa, Fla., and is a division of Sage North America. For more information, please visit www.sagehealth.com or call (877) 932-6301.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 medical practices in the United States. 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. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com.© 2010 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc. or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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0 SLI Global Solutions is approved by ONC for EHR testing
Dec 15, 2010. Press Releases.SLI Global Solutions Inc., has been selected by the Office of the National Coordinator as an Accredited Test and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB)
12.14.2010– DENVER, CO —SLI Global Solutions Inc., the trusted partner for quality assurance, testing and independent verification and validation services, has been selected by the Office of the National Coordinator as an Accredited Test and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) under the Temporary Certification Program Pursuant to 45 CFR Part 170, § 170.415.
“We are excited to support the ONC in this important program. SLI has partnered with Orion Registrar, Inc. (Orion) to form a consortium to deliver all ONC-ATCB services. This best-in-class solution combines SLI’s more than 14 years of experience testing software applications with Orion’s more than 10 years of experience with certifying organizations to various standards. This collaboration provides the requisite independence of testing and certification functions in accordance with ONC expectations.” Said Mark Phillips, Vice President of Quality Services for SLI Global Solutions.
SLI’s Corporate Quality System has been audited to and certified against ISO 9001:2008 standards of quality performance. SLI is also an accredited lab under the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This, coupled with extensive knowledge of health care IT systems makes SLI the right choice to provide a full range of Health IT Systems test, verification and certification services.
For a complete list of qualifications and registration of EHR testing visit: http://www.sliglobalsolutions.com/offerings/health-it
About SLI Global Solutions.
SLI Global Solutions helps customers around the globe manage their technology risk and investment. An ISO 9001:2008 certified recommended company, SLI’s industry-best people, process, technology, and customer service set the standard for excellence.Headquartered in Denver, Colorado USA, with project locations in capital cities within the US and internationally, SLI Global Solutions provides the highest standards of quality while offering innovative, cost-effective solutions in a highly-professional, client-focused atmosphere.
Since our founding in 1996 as SysTest Labs, SLI Global Solutions’ focus has been on helping customers build quality and innovation into their products and system implementations, while minimizing technology risk. Our competencies for managing technology risk are delivered in six areas: State and Local Government, Federal Government, Election Systems Certification Testing, Quality Assurance & Test, Health IT, and Emerging Media.
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0 Allscripts MyWay™ Electronic Health Record Receives ONC-ATCB Certification by Drummond Group
Dec 15, 2010. Press Releases.CHICAGO, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Allscripts MyWay EHR version 9.0 has received Complete EHR Ambulatory certification — deeming the Electronic Health Record (EHR) software capable of enabling providers to meet the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Tested and certified under the Drummond Group’s Electronic Health Records Office of the National Coordinator Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) program, the EHR software is 2011/2012 compliant in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100901/CG58147LOGO)
“The certification of our MyWay EHR provides physicians in independent practice and small groups an electronic health record that is simple, easy to use and that works the way their practice works, while positioning them to qualify for federal incentives under ARRA,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. “Allscripts is committed to providing physicians and hospitals with the certified solutions they need to take full advantage of this important federal program, which we believe will ultimately lead to better health outcomes for all Americans.”
Drummond Group’s ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that EHRs meet the meaningful use criteria for either eligible provider or hospital technology. In turn, healthcare providers using the EHR systems of certified vendors are qualified to receive federal stimulus monies upon demonstrating meaningful use of the technology — a key component of the federal government’s push to improve clinical care delivery through the adoption and effective use of EHRs by U.S. healthcare providers.
Allscripts MyWay version 9.0, which met the requirements for a Complete EHR Ambulatory, is available as both a hosted SaaS (Software as a Service) and on-premise solution, and offers robust capabilities for electronic health as well as practice management and claims management. The solution is designed to help independent and smaller physician practices overcome cost and IT complexity barriers.
Allscripts Enterprise, Professional and PeakPractice EHRs, as well as Allscripts ED Emergency Department Information System, were all previously certified 2011/2012 compliant by Drummond Group or other ONC-ATCBs. Allscripts Sunrise Enterprise acute care EHR is expected to receive ONC-ATCB certification before the end of the year.
“The need for EHRs in the U.S. healthcare system has been acknowledged for many years. Drummond Group is proud to work with leading healthcare vendors and help them offer certified technologies to health providers across the country. With more than 10 years of software testing experience carried out in several industries, we are confident in our ability to offer an effective and cost-efficient testing process to the healthcare industry,” says Rik Drummond, CEO of Drummond Group. “The snowball effect could mean great things for clinical care in our country. We can help IT vendors certify their EHR systems – vendors can then help providers implement the EHR solutions to achieve meaningful use and receive incentive funds – and ultimately providers can leverage the systems to improve clinical care across the nation.”
This Complete EHR is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by Drummond Group, an ONC-ATCB approved to certify any complete or modular EHR both ambulatory and inpatient, in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments. Allscripts, 12/08/2010, MyWay EHR version 9.0, certification number 12082010-8725-1, Clinical Quality Measures Certified: NQF0002, NQF0013, NQF0024, NQF0028, NQF0031, NQF0038, NQF0041, NQF0043, NQF0421; additional software used: email and spreadsheet software.
About Allscripts
Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) provides innovative solutions that empower all stakeholders across the healthcare continuum to deliver world-class outcomes. The company’s clinical, financial, connectivity and information solutions for hospitals, physicians and post-acute organizations are the essential technologies that enable a connected community of health. To learn more about Allscripts, please visit www.allscripts.com, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
About Drummond Group
Drummond Group, Inc., the trusted software test lab, provides effective and efficient electronic health record (EHR) testing to healthcare information technology vendors. As an office of the National Coordinator Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB), Drummond Group works closely with healthcare software vendors to certify EHRs for use by providers that are looking to qualify for incentive funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Drummond Group is approved to certify both complete and module EHR for both ambulatory and inpatient. Leveraging more than a decade’s worth of interoperability, conformance testing and certification experience in multiple industries, Drummond Group delivers what’s needed in healthcare: highly reliable and readily affordable software testing services. For more information, go to www.drummondgroup.com.
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