Wednesday, June 10, 2009

CCHIT TO PROPOSE NEW PATHS TO CERTIFICATION

Seeks input on new concepts for certifying EHR technologies


CHICAGO – June 9, 2009 – The Certification Commission today announced a series of two Town Call web conferences on June 16 and 17 to gather stakeholder input on new paths to certification of electronic health record (EHR) technologies, with the goal of supporting more rapid, widespread adoption and meaningful use under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).



“ARRA has turbocharged the drive for health IT adoption and meaningful use,” said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., Commission chair. “Certification -- an explicit requirement of that law -- must become more robust and more flexible at the same time, to allow these powerful incentives to deliver the desired result: improved health and healthcare. We will share our new ideas and invite feedback from the health community.”



Areas to be explored during the Town Calls include the crosswalk from certification to meaningful use, enhancements to current programs, and new and updated programs to make certification more accessible to a wider variety of EHR technologies, including modular, self-developed, and open source applications.



The first Town Call, “New Paths to Certification: Dialog with the Open Source Community”, on June 16 at 1:00 PM Eastern will focus on concerns regarding certification of applications licensed under open source models. During the Web conference, Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., Commission chair, and Dennis Wilson, the Commission’s technology director, will discuss the new concepts from the perspective of technology developers.



The second Town Call, “New Paths to Certification”, on June 17 at 11:00 AM Eastern is intended for a general audience, and will explore all of the new programs and their intended goals. During both events, participants will be invited to submit questions and comments online. Registration is required for the free Town Calls at http://cchit.org/towncalls.



The Certification Commission is actively adapting its certification programs and timelines to conform to the new requirements of ARRA as the definition of meaningful use emerges. Instead of immediately launching a 2009-10 certification program, the Commission submitted its new released 09 criteria to the Health Information Technology Standards Committee for review and, anticipating a draft definition of meaningful use by June 16 and draft standards and certification criteria by August 26, will work to quickly resolve any gaps and begin accepting applications for newly designed certification programs as quickly as possible after that.





C Sue Reber

Marketing Director, CCHIT

Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology

503.288.5876 office | 503.703.0813 cell | 503.287.4613 fax

sreber@cchit.org



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Posted by Salvatore Volpe MD FAAP FACP CHCQM at 12:42 PM
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Sophrona Solutions partners with ASCRS/ASOA to equip members with Secure Messaging, a tool for excellence in patient customer service.


Minneapolis, MN (May 21, 2009) -- Sophrona Solutions, the leader in online patient communication solutions for ophthalmology, announces a partnership with ASCRS/ASOA. Through this relationship, ASCRS/ASOA members now have one more way to deliver excellence in customer service to patients. Sophrona will provide members with important discounts on Secure Messaging – a tool that is HIPAA Secure and gives patients the 24/7 convenience consumers have come to expect.

While the societies can deliver on one of their key goals for the year, this relationship seals Sophrona’s position as the industry leader in ophthalmology for online 24/7 patient communication. At the same time, ASCRS/ASOA members will have access to Sophrona’s Secure Messaging efficiency enhancing patient communication tool at a steep discount.

Indeed, most important are the benefits that this partnership will provide to consumers. Sophrona offers clinics and patients the same convenience we have all come to expect with email, but packaged as a specialized application for healthcare practices called Secure Messaging. While email is used to notify patients of a new message, the emails themselves contain no personal health information and only prompt the patient to login to the patient portal to view their message securely. Access through the patient portal makes the communication completely safe and compliant with HIPAA privacy rules. Like email, Secure Messaging allows the patient and practice to engage in conversation on their own timeline. A patient can inquire about a bill without having to hold on the phone or can request a prescription re-fill at midnight. At the same time, clinic staff does not need to respond immediately, but can do so when convenient for them.

For more information on Sophrona and their leading technology, visit www.sophrona.com. For more information on the partnership and the discounts provided visit www.asoa.org or www.ascrs.org.

About Sophrona Solutions:
Sophrona Solutions is the leader in patient portal software designed for and by ophthalmologists. Sophrona serves ophthalmology practices nationwide with its innovative and profitable online patient communication technology solutions. Through its HIPAA secure patient portal software, data analytics, and powerful interface engine, Sophrona equips eye doctors with a comprehensive suite of patient relationship management tools to improve clinic efficiency, grow patient volume, and increase profitability. For more information, visit www.sophrona.com.

5:34 AM

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