Archive for the ‘Electronic Health Records’ Category
January 11, 2011
A third of hospitals have integration between medical devices and electronic medical records, allowing data recorded on the devices to be uploaded automatically into EMR, according to a survey released Dec. 1 by HIMSS Analytics. Most hospitals that have linked devices and EMRs said they believe it saves staff time by eliminating manual documentation. HIMSS Analytics, part of the Chicago-based Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, surveyed 825 U.S. hospitals on their use of medical device utilization. It found the devices most likely to be interfaced are intelligent medical device hubs (networked diagnostic equipment that provide data streams) and physiological monitors. Recording and charting vital signs is one of the core measurements of stage 1 meaningful use. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services meaningful use incentives offer hospitals a base payment of $2 million each from Medicare and Medicaid. Although the stage 1 meaningful use criteria do not require the charting to be done automatically, many believe integration between medical devices and EMRs will be required later. “The transfer of data directly from a medical device to the EMR can reduce potential medical errors and improve patient care, because no manual transfer of data takes place,” said John Daniels, vice president of health care organizational services for HIMSS. “Such data integration also improves workflow by saving time for clinical staff, a valuable benefit when looking at nursing shortages in health care.” The report notes that hospitals are not yet conducting return-on-investment studies on the integration of the monitoring devices to EMRs. But some hospitals have reported that integration has saved time. St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, Wyo., reports that integration of vital sign monitors to its EMRs has yielded a 60% time savings, because staff do not have to enter the data manually. The report said a critical factor hospitals face is determining how to connect an intelligent medical device to an EMR. For those that integrate some devices to an EMR, about half use a wired local area network to provide the connectivity. Only 8% rely solely on wireless LAN connections for the integration. The report says hospitals will place more importance on integrating medical devices to EMRs when more is known about the stage 2 and stage 3 meaningful use requirements. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is working on stage 2 criteria. Source : http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/12/20/bisc1220.htm
January 06, 2011
Filed Under (ARRA, CCHIT, EHR, EMR, Electronic Health Records, Electronic Medical Records, Health, Hospital) by admin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 5, 2011 January 5, 2011 – Integrated Systems Management Inc announced today that OmniMD™ EHR, Version 11.0 is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on January 4, 2011 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. 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). According to Divan Dave, CEO, of OmniMD™ “This certification is another step in our commitment to provide providers with intuitive, easy-to-use, affordable technologies that help them improve patient care, reduce their costs and qualify for government incentives”. 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. “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. OmniMD™ EHR, Version 11.0 certification number is CC-1112-484340-1. ONC-ATCB 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. The clinical quality measures to which OmniMD™ has been certified include: NQF 0421 - Adult Weight Screening & Follow-Up OmniMD™ EHR Version 11.0 is also certified in CCHIT’s separate and independently developed certification program. OmniMD™ Version 11.0 is a pre-market CCHIT Certified® 2011, Ambulatory EHR. Integrated Systems Management Inc. has certified its EHR technology in both programs to provide greater assurance to its customers. About Integrated Systems Management, Inc Founded in 2000, OmniMD™ integrated Electronic Health Records and Practice Management (PMS) products and services, offers unparalleled reliability, ease-of-use, efficiency and customizability. OmniMD™ Ambulatory EHR has also earned a designation as a pre-market CCHIT 2011 Certification with the highest 5 Star Usability Rating ensuring OmniMD™ commitment to have a comprehensive, secure, scalable, intuitive and interoperable EHR system. OmniMD™ Ambulatory EHR Version 11.0 is CCHIT 2011 Pre-Market Certified, web-enabled and support devices ranging from Tablet PCs to Smart phones. OmniMD™ offers a comprehensive set of services such as Health Transcriptions, Document Management, Patient Portal, Patient Reminder and Eligibility Verification as part of an integrated solution under one roof helping practices to effectively addressing their financial, administrative, clinical, and regulatory needs. OmniMD™ Ambulatory EHR Version 11.0 is built as a true Software as a Service solution. It can be deployed as an Enterprise or a Subscription based Service as per the practice requirements. OmniMD™ is designed to exceed the present and future needs of the healthcare industry. OmniMD™ is robust, scalable, interoperable, secure, intuitive and customizable with rapid deployment model. OmniMD™ EHR has also achieved Surescripts® Gold Solution Provider status, which allows for interoperability with the nation’s community pharmacies - improving the safety, efficiency and quality of the prescribing process. Gold Solution Provider status is granted to vendors whose software products have surpassed Surescripts’ baseline product certification, by demonstrating a higher level of commitment to e-prescribing, enhanced security, excellent customer support and service. OmniMD™ is a division of Integrated Systems Management, Inc. – ISM Inc. - (www.ismnet.com) a leader in Software Development and Information Technology Consulting since 1989. 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.
December 24, 2010
Filed Under (EHR, EMR, EMR Stimulus Package, Electronic Health Records, Electronic Medical Records) by admin
Results from a survey of nearly 950 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) members indicates that iPad deployments are accelerating in large part due to the mobile device’s compelling point-of-care applications and uses. Conducted October 26 during an online webinar cosponsored by HIMSS and BoxTone, a mobile service management (MSM) company, the survey’s results were released earlier this month. Data showed that nearly 70% of the attendees were from hospitals or healthcare organizations with more than 1,500 employees, and 15% of attendees were executive-level staff or physicians. More than 25% of the HIMSS respondents plan to deploy the iPad and other iOS devices immediately and nearly 70% plan to deploy the devices within the next year. One-third of respondents identified point-of-care applications — including lab order visualization and results, clinical decision support, and medical image viewing applications — as top priorities, while 18% identified general administration, including billing, coding, and claims applications, as top priorities. Nearly 75% identified secure configuration and deployment as the number one iPad IT management challenge, and 53% identified mobile application deployment as a key issue. Lynne Dunbrack, analyst with IDC Health Insights, said security will remain a top concern for healthcare CIOs, especially if clinicians bring in their own devices to access the hospital’s healthcare information systems, such as electronic medical records (EMRs) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems. “As more patient information is moved into EMRs and made accessible both inside and outside the organization via a range of devices, including mobile devices and tablets, the risk of a privacy breach rises. Organized deployment and virtualized clients will help to mitigate this concern,” Dunbrack said. Dunbrack also noted that the iPad, which has a sleek design, an intuitive user interface, and a large screen (relative to a smartphone), is becoming increasingly popular among clinicians. As the iPad gains traction among healthcare providers, EMR vendors will develop bidirectional integration between their EMR applications and clinicians’ mobile point-of-care devices such as smartphones and tablets. Vendors are also developing EMR applications specifically for the iPad, Dunbrack observed. One example is St. Louis-based ClearPractice, a company that develops Web-based ambulatory EMR and revenue cycle management applications. ClearPractice recently launched Nimble, a comprehensive EMR application designed and developed specifically for the iPad. Alan Snyder, BoxTone’s CEO, said in a statement that the iPad is redefining how organizations leverage mobile technology in the enterprise and the healthcare community is leading this paradigm shift. “As these devices are used more frequently at the point of care, IT must ensure both data security and privacy, as well as superior remote connectivity,” Snyder said.
November 12, 2010
NEW YORK – The New York Department of Health (DOH) and the public-private partnership New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) on Tuesday submitted a plan to ONC outlining a proposal to spend $129 million in state and federal funds to build and implement a statewide medical records network. The network is being touted by officials as the country’s largest – connecting hundreds of hospitals, thousands of medical practitioners and up to 20 million patients a year. Once completed, New York doctors anywhere in the state will have instant access to critical Electronic Medical Records (EMR) of every patient. “Better information helps doctors do a better job,” said David Whitlinger, executive director of NYeC. “This statewide network will empower healthcare providers by giving them access to a wealth of patient data that they didn’t always have at their fingertips. While cutting edge technology plays a tremendous role in modern medicine, in many respects medical records are still stuck in the past. We look forward to helping create a system that will greatly improve the quality of medical care and therefore people’s lives.” The proposed statewide network will link together several existing regional electronic medical records networks with new infrastructure and programming, and state agencies will set policies to govern the system’s implementation and maintenance. Currently, healthcare providers can share some electronic records with certain neighboring medical institutions. The Statewide Health Information Network for NY (SHIN-NY) will allow patients and healthcare providers to have immediate access to histories, prescriptions, test results, medical analysis and diagnoses, and more, anywhere in the state. “Having this information can mean the difference between life and death,” said Eugene Heslin, a practicing New York physician who serves on the Board of NYeC. Heslin says having quick access to patients’ information such, as their medication history, can be life-saving in an emergency. While several other states and the Veterans Administration have set up large networks for medical records, officials say New York’s system will ultimately dwarf them when completed given the scope of the state’s medical facilities. The proposal establishes a preliminary timeline for the implementation of many of the core services the network can provide – ranking them in priority – and foresees new services being added every several months between mid-2011 and 2014. “New York is once again leading the nation in healthcare initiatives that will provide better treatment to the millions of patients treated in the state every year,” said New York State Department of Health Deputy Commissioner of Health Information Technology Transformation Rachel Block. “We feel it is our responsibility to help all patients and healthcare providers across the state have access to the same vital information that can help save lives. We look forward to working with NYeC and other state programs to create this network and establish rules that will make electronic medical records secure, accessible and helpful to the many stakeholders all around the state.” Source : http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/new-york-emr-network-set-be-largest-country
November 02, 2010
EMRs keep on proving their mettle in the area of care coordination. The latest evidence comes from Kaiser Permanente Colorado, which improved outcomes by mining its EMR and electronic disease registries to match patients with heart disease to clinical pharmacy specialists and “personalized” nurses. In a study published in the November edition of the journal Pharmacotherapy, Kaiser researchers reported an 89 percent reduction in mortality, as well as cost reductions of $60 per day for cardiac patients enrolled in a disease management program, as compared to a control group. The program, called the Kaiser Permanente Collaborative Cardiac Care Service, can notify pharmacy specialists if a patient doesn’t pick up a prescription or if a cholesterol test reveals a need to change medications, for example. The pharmacists or nurses then can contact individual patients to help them make the necessary adjustments to their treatment. Rather than seeing costs increase due to the extra service, healthcare expenditures declined significantly for patients in the program. Hospitalization costs averaged $19 per day for participants, vs. $69 per day for those receiving standard treatment. Kaiser also reported small cost savings on physician office visits and medications due to the better coordination. “This program works because it is a team approach,” study co-author Dr. John Merenich, medical director of the Clinical Pharmacy Cardiac Risk Service at KP Colorado, tells Healthcare IT News. “Our teams of nurses and clinical pharmacists, as well as our health information technology, require significant investment. We always knew it was the right investment because it saved lives. Now we know it’s also the right investment because it provides the highest quality care at a lower cost. This is the value people have been looking for in health care.” Source : http://www.fierceemr.com/story/emr-driven-disease-management-reduces-mortality-costs/2010-10-28
October 14, 2010
Lest anyone think the issue has been settled, national health IT coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal says there is a “raging debate” in scientific and policy circles about whether standards or competition should drive EMR development, MassDevice reports. “There is a raging debate in the computer science world, which I have only lifted the lid on because I’m not a computer scientist, but it goes basically like this: Do we want a world where somebody sets very detailed standards for what computers have to do in order to create interoperability? Or do we want a world that’s a little bit more like the Internet, where a minimal set of standards was created and an enormous, vibrant competition and spontaneous growth occurred?” Blumenthal reportedly said at a gala for the Lucian Leape Institute of the National Patient Safety Foundation. “I hear both sides of that argument, constantly, and even those people who believe in the minimal set of standards aren’t really sure what that minimal set is, but we’re working on precisely that,” Blumenthal added. He was responding to a question from former U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill about EMR standardization. “Why is it that we’re reluctant to declare that we are going to design the best prototype that we can with an idea that we will have [iterative versions] as we learn more and we identify more needs?” wondered O’Neill, himself now a patient-safety advocate. “Why is it that we can’t call to question and get on with what’s a clear and apparent need for a national standard that’s a work in progress?” “It’s not that it has to be perfect from day one, but your office basically says, ‘We’re going to do this now’?” O’Neill asked. O’Neill noted that he had seen the “travesty” of a $500 million investment in a proprietary EMR that was not interoperable with competitive systems, something that’s “not worth a damn” when a patient travels outside the local service area, and he does not want to see others waste money like that. Blumenthal also addressed the recent news that medical licensing boards may require health IT competency for physicians to keep up their licensure. “Information is the lifeblood of medicine, and unless physicians and other healthcare professionals are capable of using the most modern technology available for managing information, I think they will have trouble claiming, in the 21st century, the unique competence that entitles them to being licensed and board certified,” Blumenthal reportedly said at the NPSF event. “I think they’ll have trouble holding up their heads as professionals and claiming that they are at the top of their game and capable of providing the best care that technology allows.” Source : http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/emr-development-debate-focuses-standards-competition/2010-09-20
August 31, 2010
Key step in national initiative toward adoption of electronic health records The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), Chicago, Ill. and the Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), Austin, Texas, were named today by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as the first technology review bodies that have been authorized to test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for compliance with the standards and certification criteria that were issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year. Announcement of these ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCBs) means that EHR vendors can now begin to have their products certified as meeting criteria to support meaningful use, a key step in the national initiative to encourage adoption and effective use of EHRs by America’s health care providers. “Less than two months following the issuance of final meaningful use rules, we have approved our initial ONC-ATCB certifiers. EHR vendors can begin immediately to get their products certified.” said David Blumenthal, M.D., national coordinator for Health Information Technology. This is a crucial step because it ensures that certified EHR products will be available to support the achievement of the required meaningful use objectives, that these products will be aligned with one another on key standards, and that doctors and hospitals can invest with confidence in these certified systems.” Applications for additional ONC-ATCBs are also under review. Certification of EHRs is part of a broad initiative undertaken by Congress and President Obama under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. HITECH created new incentive payment programs to help health providers as they transition from paper-based medical records to EHRs. Incentive payments totaling as much as $27 billion may be made under the program. Individual physicians and other eligible professionals can receive up to $44,000 through Medicare and almost $64,000 through Medicaid. Hospitals can receive millions. To qualify for the incentive payments, providers must not only adopt, but also demonstrate meaningful use of, certified EHR systems. The law envisions that defined meaningful use requirements will help ensure that the patient and provider benefits of EHRs are realized. Initial meaningful use criteria were defined in a final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 28. In addition to the CMS rule, ONC also issued standards and certification criteria for EHRs on July 28, aimed at ensuring that EHR systems will support the specific tasks required under meaningful use. Also, through regulations issued on June 24, ONC created a system by which technology review organizations could also qualify as ONC- ATCBs that will certify EHR products as meeting the requirements necessary for meaningful use. With the initial two ONC-ATCBs now named, EHR vendors can apply to them for certification of their products. By purchasing certified products, providers will have assurance that the products will support achievement of the meaningful use objectives. “Multiple steps are underway to carry out the intent of Congress in supporting rapid and effective adoption of EHRs throughout our health care system,” Dr. Blumenthal said. “The naming of initial ONC-ATCBs is one important step. Actual certification of multiple vendors’ systems by the ONC-ATCBs is an important next step. CMS is also working to create an online system for providers to register and attest for the EHR incentive programs. The first incentive payments are targeted to be made in May 2011. Meanwhile, ONC is also carrying out new programs of technical assistance and training, especially for smaller hospitals and physician practices.” Dr. Blumenthal said the Health IT initiative “is on an aggressive schedule to meet the urgent targets set by Congress and the President toward realizing the quality and safety improvements that we can achieve through health information technology.” To learn more about the ONC-ATCBs named today visit www.cchit.org and www.drummondgroup.com. For more information about the ONC certification programs visit http://healthit.hhs.gov/certification. For more information about other HHS Recovery Act Health Information Technology funding and programs, visit http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/index.html#Health. This news is published on : http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/08/20100830d.html
November 25, 2009
We’re in an unprecedented boom in health IT, thanks mostly to growth in the EMR/EHR sector.
A new report from Scientia Advisors says health IT is the fastest-growing segment of what the Cambridge, Mass., management advisory company calls a $1 trillion global healthcare products marketplace. Health IT currently is growing at an 11 percent annual rate, and solid growth should continue at least through 2013, which would be the third year of the federal EMR stimulus program here in the States, the Scientia report forecasts. In that time frame, health IT will increase its market share by a quarter, to 5 percent of global healthcare products sales from the current 4 percent.
In the U.S., according to Scientia, the bulk of the spending will come from inpatient and outpatient EMRs, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. “Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) will likely have a profound impact on clinical diagnostics and therapeutics,” the report says, according to InformationWeek. Some of the growth likely will be at the expense of specialty and departmental systems, however.
Established EMR vendors should benefit most from the increased spending. “Leading players with large installed bases, proven products, and streamlined routes to meaningful use of EHRs are likely to gain share,” Scientia says. However, the research firm says “disruptive innovations” like open-source software and new applications of software-as-a-service could drive down prices, as might new competition from emerging markets in Asia and elsewhere.
Above article published on http://www.medicexchange.com/EMR/emr-likely-to-boom-throughout-2013.html
November 25, 2009
By Neil Versel
Without EMRs, PHRs and health information exchange, the patient-centered medical home may not be bound to fail, but it certainly is difficult to establish and maintain. “IT is really the key to supporting the doctor/patient relationship and making it more efficient, safer and more effective,” Dr. Paul Grundy, president of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, tells Health Data Management. The Washington-based organization advocates the medical home, under which a primary-care physician manages and coordinates care on behalf of patients, with an eye toward prevention and management of chronic diseases.
It may be a challenge to implement the medical-home model under current reimbursement systems, but until payers start rewarding physicians for keeping patients healthy, IT may be the best avenue. EMRs with clinical decision support, PHRs that help patients monitor their own conditions and health information exchange to support care coordination all can help establish a team approach to care and treatment, HDM reports.
“This is simply about restructuring the way healthcare is delivered to catch the efficiency of technology,” adds Grundy, who also is director of heathcare transformation at IBM.
Above article published on http://www.fierceemr.com/story/emrs-phrs-hie-necessary-support-patient-centered-medical-home/2009-11-12
November 13, 2009
By Kenneth Corbin
Sen. John Kerry is continuing his push to accelerate the adoption of electronic medical records.
The Massachusetts Democrat on Tuesday introduced legislation to spur family doctors and small-scale practitioners to migrate their paper records to digital format, a goal that most everyone agrees would improve care and lower costs, but one that entails a significant initial expense.
“Electronic medical records and prescriptions are the common sense solution to restricting costs, reducing errors and reforming a broken system,” Kerry said in a statement. “Doctors don’t need convincing — they’ve seen the results.”
Kerry’s bill, the Small Business Health Information Technology Financing Act, would make small-scale doctors eligible for grants from the Small Business Administration to move to electronic records.
“This legislation helps small practices acquire the technology that will allow them to be more efficient and to focus on patient care,” Kerry said.
The federal government has already made it clear that digital records are a priority, earmarking $19 billion for the cause in the February stimulus bill.
In 2007, Kerry introduced legislation to push doctors use digital systems when issuing prescriptions. The 2008 Medicare bill passed with provisions establishing a timetable offering bonus payments to early adopters of the technology, and eventually phasing in penalties for the laggards who continue issuing paper prescriptions.
Above article published on http://blog.internetnews.com/kcorbin/2009/11/kerry-backing-bill-to-boost-el.html
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