Pennsylvania eHealth Initiative

If you practice in Pennsylvania, review this site. SV

The Pennsylvania eHealth Initiative (PAeHI) was created to encourage the development and use of electronic medical records (EMR) in Pennsylvania along with health information exchanges (HIE), which will ultimately tie into a national system allowing patients and health care providers to securely access medical records regionally and throughout the country.

Paehi.org

Govenor Lynch of New Hampshire promoting e-Prescribing plan

The e-prescribing practice will eliminate problems with mistakes in medication dosages, save time for pharmacists trying decipher bad handwriting and cut medical costs by making the whole process more efficient, Lynch said.

Lynch hopes New Hampshire will become the first state in the country to rely totally on e-prescribing practices.

Unionleader.com

Lodi Memorial Hospital has implemented an EHR from MediTech

An EHR is an integral step to improving patient safety and system efficiency. SV

Patient charts in the medical/surgical, intensive care, obstetrics, physical rehabilitation and transitional care units of the 173-bed, 54-year-old nonprofit community-owned hospital are no longer being kept on paper. Soon, patient records in the emergency department and inpatient surgery all will be relegated to computer screens...

By the end of 2007, Lodi Memorial will have spent about $8 million implementing its electronic records system created by Medical Information Technology Inc. (Meditech) of Westwood, Mass., according to hospital spokeswoman Carol Farron.

Recordnet.com

HHS Designates CCHIT as a Recognized Certification Body

Congratulations to CCHIT for its accomplishment and for helping blazing the trail for HIT distribution! SV

CHICAGO – OCTOBER 24, 2006 – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has designated the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHITSM) as a Recognized Certification Body (RCB). In August, the Department published two final rules providing an exception to the physician self-referral prohibition (commonly referred to as the Stark law) and a safe harbor under the anti-kickback statute. These provisions allow hospitals, health systems, health plans and others to donate interoperable electronic health record (EHR) software to physicians and other healthcare practitioners under specified conditions, one of which is that the software must be interoperable. EHR software will be deemed interoperable under both rules if it has been certified within 12 months prior to the donation by a certification body recognized by the Secretary.

"The HHS final rules allow hospitals, doctors, and other entities to collaborate on health IT projects, achieving economies of scale not available to individual medical practices. This will help overcome a major financial barrier, accelerating progress toward our goal of widespread adoption of robust, interoperable EHRs. CCHIT is proud to have been deemed a Recognized Certification Body, and we thank our volunteers as well as every stakeholder who has contributed to our efforts," said Mark Leavitt, MD, PhD, chair, CCHIT.



CCHIT.ORG

CDPHP implementing electronic medical prescription using the iScribe system

Cudos to CDPHP for taking the initiative in promoting e-Prescribing.SV

Capital District Physicians Health Plan and its pharmacy benefit manager have launched a three-year electronic-prescribing program in the Albany, N.Y., market.

SilverScript Insurance Co. of Nashville, Tenn., will offer its iScribe electronic prescribing tools to more than 400 CDPHP health care providers throughout the area. The local initiative is part of SilverScript's broader national appeal, targeting 10,000 physicians in seven states.

Albany Business Review

Gateway notebook battery recall: another Sony battery recall

Sony Recalls Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Previous Fires
The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using the product immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Rechargeable, lithium ion batteries containing Sony cells used in Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation, Gateway Inc., Sony Electronics Inc., and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. notebook computers.

Units: About 340,000 batteries (an additional 3,080,000 battery packs were sold worldwide)

Battery Cell Manufacturer: Sony Energy Devices Corp., of Japan

Hazard: These lithium ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been 16 reports of notebook computer batteries overheating, causing minor property damage and two minor burns. All of these reported incidents and injuries have been associated with earlier recalls of notebook computer batteries containing these Sony cells. There have been no incidents involving batteries sold by the notebook manufacturers participating in this announcement.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

CCHIT releases updated list of certified EHRs

Congratulations to all new additions. SV

* ABELSoft Corporation (ABELMed PM - EMR 7.0)
* AcerMed, Inc.(AcerMed 1.0)
* Allscripts (HealthMatics Electronic Health Record 2006)
* Allscripts (TouchWorks Electronic Health Record 10.1.1)
* Bond Technologies (Bond Clinician EHR 2006)
* Cerner Corporation
(PowerChart 2005.02)
* Community Computer Service (MEDENT 16)
* Companion Technologies
(Companion EMR v8.5)
* CPSI (Medical Practice EMR 14)
* eClinicalWorks (eClinicalWorks Version 7.0 Release 2)
* Eclipsys Corporation (Sunrise Ambulatory Care 4.5)
* EHS (CareRevolution 5.0i)
* e-MDs (e-MDs Solution Series 6.1)
* Epic Systems (EpicCare Ambulatory EMR Spring 2006)
* GE Healthcare
(Centricity® EMR 2005 Version 6.0)
* Greenway Medical Technologies (PrimeSuite 2007)
* iMedica Corporation
(iMedica Patient Relationship Manager 2005, version 5.1)
* Infor-Med Corporation
(Praxis® Electronic Medical Records, version 3.4)

* JMJ Technologies
(EncounterPRO® EHR 5.0)
* LSS Data Systems (Medical and Practice Management Suite Client Server Version 5.5 (Service
Release 2.1))
* McKesson (Horizon Ambulatory Care Version 9.4)
* MCS-Medical Communication Systems (mMD.Net EHR 9.0.9)
* MedcomSoft (Record 2006 (V 3.0))
* Medical Informatics Engineering (WebChart 4.23)
* MediNotes Corporation (MediNotes e 5.0)
* MedPlexus, Inc. (MedPlexus EHR 8.5)
* Misys Healthcare Systems
(Misys EMR 8.0)
* Netsmart Technologies (Avatar PM 2006 Release 02)
* NextGen Healthcare Information Systems (NextGen EMR 5.3)
* Nightingale Informatix Corporation (myNightingale Physician Workstation 5.1)
* Noteworthy Medical Systems, Inc.(Noteworthy EHR 5.4)
* Practice Partner
(Practice Partner 9)
* ProPractica Inc.(Streamline MD 9.0.9)
* Sage Software
(Intergy® EHR v3.00)
* Sage Software
(Intergy® EHR v3.50)

CCHIT.ORG

The current Internet Explorer Version 7 may not be compatible with your current system

You can disable the auto-update installation of IE v7 by installing a program from Microsoft.( I know it sounds ironic)

Check with you software vendors before installing IE v7


Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 7

More physician groups and managed care organizations promote online communications

San Ramon-based Hill Physicians Medical Group and Berkeley's Alta Bates Medical Group already allow patients to communicate securely with their doctors through a system designed by Emeryville-based RelayHealth, a divison of McKesson Corp.

Now Kaiser Permanente, which a year ago launched its own secure program for doctor-patient communication in Northern California dubbed "e-mail your doctor," has begun marketing the same program to parents of children under age 12.

East Bay Business Times

MEDICARE ADDS PERFORMANCE-BASED PAYMENTS FOR PHYSICIANS IN FOUR STATES

Ask you EHR vendor if their system can or will soon be able to submit data to CMS. SV

New Demonstration Program Tests Financial Incentives for
Improved Quality and Coordination in Small to Medium Sized Group Practices

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced a new initiative to pay physicians for the quality of the care they provide to seniors and disabled beneficiaries with chronic conditions, reflecting the Administration’s ongoing commitment to reward innovative approaches to get better patient outcomes for the health dollar.

We intend to provide better financial support for quality care,” said CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, “Through this demonstration and the rest of our set of value-based payment demonstrations, we are finding better approaches to doing that than ever before. This is another important step toward paying for what we really want: better care at a lower cost, not simply the amount of care provided.”

The Medicare Care Management Performance (MCMP) Demonstration was authorized under section 649 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). It will be implemented in four states: Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, and Utah in 2007.

Under this demonstration, physician groups will continue to be paid on a fee-for-service basis. Participating physicians will submit data annually on up to 26 quality measures related to the care of patients with diabetes, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease, as well as the provision of preventive health services such as immunizations and cancer screenings to high risk patients with a range of chronic diseases. In its first year, the program will be a “pay-for- reporting” initiative to provide baseline information on quality and to help physicians become familiar with the quality measurement process. In subsequent years, based on their performance on the quality measures, practices will be eligible to earn an annual incentive of up to $10,000 per physician and up to $50,000 per practice year.

CMS already is conducting a pay-for-performance demonstration involving practices with 200 or more physicians. Early results from the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration have shown quality of care improvement in hospitals under a pay-for-performance system. In addition to the initiatives for hospitals, physicians, and physician groups described above, CMS is developing a value-based purchasing demonstration for nursing homes – building on the progress of the Nursing Home Quality Initiative – and for home health and dialysis providers as well.

CMS

Whole Health and iHealthrecord to Provide Transportable PHRs to Fortune 1000 Companies

Transportable is the key word in the title. The next key will need to be interoperable.SV

Cleveland-based Whole Health Management, Inc. has launched a secure and transportable personal health record service that will be provided to Fortune 1000 companies. The PHR service, iHealthRecord by Medem, is being delivered by Whole Health in a collaborative effort between large employers, local healthcare providers, and Whole Health's on-site clinics and wellness centers. Unlike other proprietary PHR services offered by employers and health plans, the new Whole Health service is fully transportable, owned and controlled by the employee, and connects employees both to clinicians at the on-site Whole Health clinics and to other providers in the community.


iHealthrecord.com

Physician gathers leaders to encourage building of RHIO in Ocala, Florida

In a presentation to members of Public Policy Institute of Marion County, he proposed the county join the ranks of nearly 100 other communities around the nation that have implemented a network called the Regional Health Information Organization.

Seek said RHIO is a network in which health-care providers securely and easily share patient information.

"The choices we have now to talk to other doctors is to call, page, fax or mail information, and they are all clunky," Seek said.

Electronic sharing of patient information could increase efficiency and increase the quality of care, while lowering its cost and making the information portable.

OCALA

Two Health Care Organizations Select Galvanon's MediKiosk to Automate the Patient Check-In Process

We have found in our practice, that the use of a "kiosk", even one not yet integrated with our EHR, has improved operations by having updated medical and demographic information. SV

Use of hospital kiosks will allow organizations to streamline patient registration, reduce costs and improve patient satisfaction

MAITLAND, Fla. – Galvanon, an NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) company, announced today new contracts with Princeton HealthCare System (Princeton, N.J.) and Virginia Hospital Center (Arlington, Va.).

Both organizations will use Galvanon’s MediKiosk, a self-service patient check-in kiosk that allows patients to identify themselves upon arrival at the facility, view and confirm demographic and insurance information, electronically sign consent documents, enter medical history information and make co-payments. This self-service approach shortens wait times for patients while minimizing the time and expense associated with managing paper registration forms for front-office staff.


NCR

Aetna Introduces Powerful, Interactive Personal Health Record based on ActiveHealth's CareEngine System


Now if they could build interfaces with CCHIT certified EHRs and make it portable, imagine the possibilites! SV

HARTFORD, Conn., October 3, 2006 — Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced the launch of its new CareEngine® System-powered Personal Health Record (PHR) that provides members with online access to personal information, including individual personalized messages and alerts, detailed health history, and integrated information and resources to help members make informed decisions about their health care.

Aetna’s PHR is the first to utilize the CareEngine System, which is a proprietary technology platform developed by ActiveHealth Management, a branded, standalone business of Aetna. CareEngine continuously scans an individual’s health data and claims information against highly respected sources of medical literature, and alerts consumers and doctors about possible urgent situations and opportunities to improve care. The CareEngine-powered PHR automatically combines detailed, claims-driven information gathered across the health care spectrum - such as physician office, lab, diagnostic treatment and prescriptions – to generate a comprehensive personal health record. This information is processed by CareEngine to generate personalized health care alerts and messages that are delivered directly to the member.

Aetna

JOHNS HOPKINS USES HIGH-SPEED INTERNET2 LINK AND REVOLUTIONIZES GLOBAL MEDICAL EDUCATION

The world just got smaller again. SV

Imagine Johns Hopkins faculty members performing microsurgery in Tanzania from a computer terminal in a Baltimore operating room, or health care experts in Vietnam presenting an avian influenza patient to medical students gathered in the Hopkins outpatient center. These are some of the possible applications of a high-tech Internet communication system that will be used for the first time next week to link Johns Hopkins faculty with clinicians in India.

Internet2 is a high-speed, high-bandwidth, dedicated Internet network developed in 1996 by leaders in the research and education community in the United States as a way to better support education and research collaborations worldwide. On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Johns Hopkins faculty members will use this technology to conduct an interactive clinical education program on HIV/AIDS, with leading health care professionals in India.

Johns Hopkins

Delaware to Build First Statewide Health Information Network, "DHIN", (RHIO)

Statewide intiatives can be used to connect local RHIOs and serve as the building blocks for the NHIN. SV

DOVER, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN) and the Delaware Health Care Commission today announced a contract award to Medicity, Inc. to build the first statewide health information exchange to give physicians instant electronic access to patient information at the time and place of care. The signing of this contract is a critical step in making the idea of electronic health records a reality in Delaware and builds on the nearly $5 million in federal funding that Senators Joe Biden and Tom Carper and U.S. Representative Mike Castle have secured.

Medicity

University Hospitals of Ohio to Implement Eclipsys Sunrise Clinical Manager™

Eclipsys Corporation® (NASDAQ: ECLP), The Outcomes Company®, today announced that University Hospitals (UH), Cleveland, OH, has contracted for Sunrise Clinical Manager and its fully integrated modules, including Sunrise Acute Care™, Sunrise Ambulatory Care™, Sunrise Emergency Care™, Sunrise Critical Care™, Sunrise Pharmacy™, and Knowledge-Based Charting™.

Consistently ranked among America’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, UH is the leading healthcare delivery system in Northeast Ohio with 150 locations throughout the region. An interdisciplinary team of UH physicians, nurses and senior management selected Eclipsys after an extensive analysis of other clinical information solutions.

Eclipsys

Fujitsu notebook PC Battery Recall by Sony

I guess all the major manufacturers are finally involved.SV


Fujitsu

Sony press release September 28, 2006

Minneapolis-based Allina electronic records system now at two more hospitals

Allina Hospitals and Clinics is forging ahead with a $240 million push to digitize health records, adding two more hospitals to the new system.

As of Sept. 1, medical records at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and Unity Hospital in Fridley are paperless. Five of Minneapolis-based Allina's 11 hospitals now house their patients' records electronically.

Allina is using Excellian, a software program that creates one paperless e-record for each patient and digitizes the hospital's billing system. Madison, Wis.-based Epic Systems created the program.

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

West Virginia University Hospitals Spending $40M on New System

Here's an update to our July 20, 2006 posting.SV

MORGANTOWN -- Not one to fall behind on technology, West Virginia University Hospitals is spending at least $40 million on its new electronic medical records system that organizers say could revolutionize health care delivery at affiliated hospitals.

Dr. Ann Chinnis is executive director of WVU's EPIC project, and that is no pun on the scope of the undertaking. EPIC is the name of the computer program WVU is purchasing to revamp how it handles medical records and other information.

The State Journal