The expectation, supported by the experience of other Medsphere customers, is that 319-bed Cooper Green will receive substantially more in federal reimbursement than Jefferson County’s initial five-year costs to acquire the system. Alabama’s largest county has faced significant financial challenges in recent years, making the improvement of both patient care and financial performance crucially important.

“What Cooper Green Hospital is accomplishing in the face of Jefferson County’s extreme budgetary challenges is nothing short of remarkable,” said Medsphere President and CEO Irv Lichtenwald. “Hospital CEO Dr. Sandral Hullett and county leaders should be commended for improving patient care without adding to budgetary shortfalls. The successful implementation of the OpenVista EHR at Cooper Green is a compelling example of responsible decision-making. Especially in these troubled economic times, public hospitals can still improve care without making financial matters worse for local government.”

Cooper Green selected the OpenVista EHR and Stockell Healthcare’s Insight CS financial and patient accounting solution as a replacement for Meditech. In addition to the ability to cover their initial five-year health IT costs through federal reimbursement, the hospital also looks forward to more financially manageable operating expenses as all upgrades, enhancements and support are included in Medsphere’s subscription-based pricing model.

“I want to express my deep gratitude to Cooper Green clinicians and staff for the hard work they’ve put in on our OpenVista implementation project. They’ve really embraced the change, which is essential to making the system work,” said Dr. Hullett. “These are tough times in Jefferson County, and we feel fortunate that we were able to implement a comprehensive EHR without paying multimillions of dollars. Honestly, we could not have done that, so the OpenVista EHR was both timely and welcome.”

In partnership with Medsphere, Cooper Green will soon begin using OpenVista to closely track Meaningful Use requirements such as use of Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) for medication orders, drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions, and electronic prescribing. Medsphere and Cooper Green collaborated during implementation and training on workflow process redesign, which will continue to ensure improved clinical efficiency and Meaningful Use success.

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As providers continue to seek ways to do more with fewer resources, the limited hardware expenses, ease of use, and growing confidence in cloud storage continue to make Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions more enticing. The recent KLAS SaaS EMR 2012: Is It For You? report discusses the performance of SaaS EMR products from vendors such as AdvancedMD, athenahealth, Bizmatics, CureMD, MedPlus/Quest Diagnostics, MIE, OptumInsight, Practice Fusion, Sevocity, and Waiting Room Solutions.

Research director and report author Erik Bermudez said, “The SaaS EMR deployment model is becoming more popular for providers who want minimal up-front cost and prefer to give the responsibility of the care and feeding of the software to the vendor. Luckily for providers, there are plenty of good options.”

KLAS spoke with nearly 300 healthcare providers that are currently using SaaS EMR to better understand which vendors offer the most comprehensive solution. Providers identified four key areas that differentiated the vendors: EMR response time, customer support, product quality, and bang for the buck.

EMR response time compared to overall performance score

The KLAS SaaS EMR 2012: Is It For You? report is available to healthcare providers online for a significant discount. Both healthcare providers and vendors can visit  www.KLASresearch.com/KLASreports to purchase the report. KLAS members can learn more about the SaaS ambulatory EMR products by logging in to their account at www.KLASresearch.com. Providers can share their experiences with SaaS solutions confidentially online with KLAS at www.KLASresearch.com/eval.

SOURCE:  KLAS

“Our specialized EHR templates and modules change the face of caregiving for OB/GYN providers by empowering them with an EHR that is, according to published usage statistics, among the most usable products in its class,” according to Stephen Snyder, MTBC’s president. “With its unique OB/GYN-focused templates, annotatable anatomic images, and seamless integration with our practice management system, business intelligence tools and revenue cycle management service, MTBC’s OB/GYN EHR will help providers reduce administrative expenses, increase revenues and streamline patient care.”

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 created rich governmental incentives – $44,000 to $66,750 over 5 years – for health care providers who acquire and demonstrate “meaningful use” of an EHR,” said Muhammad Chebli, Vice President of Information Technology. He further explained, “The term ‘meaningful use’ was coined by the Department of Health and Human Services to describe a provider’s true embrace and utilization of an EHR and the most recently released statistics for the first year of the incentive program show that MTBC’s users have become meaningful users at a higher and faster rate than those using other leading EHRs.”

Ease of EHR use is a particular concern for the OB/GYN community. Mr. Chebli explained, “The latest CMS data indicate that a relatively small percentage of OB/GYNs have achieved and attested for meaningful use, suggesting that there may be a significant usability gap among the existing OB/GYN EHR solutions. This EHR is a ‘game-changer’ for OB/GYN providers who are seeking a robust and fully integrated solution that is easy to learn and use,” said Mr. Chebli.

MTBC has continued to support to an increased number of specialty-specific EHRs. During the third quarter of 2012, MTBC plans to release a series of new specialized EHR modules and integrated solutions, with a particular focus on pediatric and psychiatry practices. These unique solutions will be offered at no additional cost to its PracticePro(TM) and ChartsPro(TM) clients and to providers who are associated with medical billing and practice management companies that are acquired as part of MTBC’s ongoing acquisition campaign.

By the end of 2011, 58 percent of office-based physicians were using e-prescribing. In terms of practice size, adoption rates are highest among smaller practices with six to 10 physicians (55 percent) and two to five physicians (53 percent). The most significant growth in physician adoption of e-prescribing occurred among solo practitioners – from 31 percent in 2010 to 46 percent in 2011. Among specialty groups, e-prescribing adoption rates are highest among internists (81%), endocrinologists (78%), cardiologists (76%) and family practitioners (75%).

Other highlights from the report include:

• The number of electronic prescriptions routed in 2011 grew to 570 million, up from 326 million
  e-prescriptions in 2010. By the end of 2011, an estimated 36 percent of prescriptions dispensed were routed electronically, up from 22 percent at the end of 2010.

• A recently completed analysis shows that of the physicians who adopted and began using e-prescribing in 2008, up to 60 percent have successfully met the Stage 1 meaningful use e-prescribing measure and 38 percent of these early users would meet the proposed Stage 2 meaningful use e-prescribing measure if it were now in effect. The results also found that e-prescriptions per active e-prescriber increased over time. In first quarter 2008, the average was 49 per month. By fourth quarter 2011, the study group averaged 213 per month.

• In 2011, Surescripts partnered with pharmacy benefit managers and retail pharmacies to compare the effectiveness of e-prescriptions and paper prescriptions on first-fill medication adherence. The data showed a consistent 10 percent increase in patient first-fill medication adherence (i.e., new prescriptions that were picked up by the patient) among physicians who adopted e-prescribing technology. The analysis suggests that the increase in first-fill medication adherence combined with other e-prescribing benefits could over the next 10 years lead to between $140 billion and $240 billion in health care cost savings and improved health outcomes.

“Beyond the significant gains in adoption, our research indicates that the longer physicians e-prescribe – the more they e-prescribe,” said Harry Totonis, president and CEO of Surescripts. “The findings are an early indicator that the meaningful use objectives for e-prescribing appear to be set at a level that was attainable for the majority of providers. This should serve as an encouraging sign for regulators as they look to raise the bar on meaningful use measures in ways that continue to lower costs and improve the quality of the nation’s healthcare system.”

In addition to tracking numerous measures of health IT adoption and use, the report discusses the future of e-prescribing, the value of prescription benefit information and how industry collaboration is driving continuous improvements in electronic prescription quality. For a downloadable copy of “The National Progress Report on E-Prescribing and Interoperable Healthcare, Year 2011,” go to www.surescripts.com/report.

“We’re thrilled to have Stewart-Webster Hospital adopt ONE-Electronic Health Record, and we are committed to providing them with the team and robust functionality needed for a successful implementation,” said Reed Liggin, R.Ph. MBA, president of RazorInsights.

“Our Full Measure Support service is alleviating much of the pain associated with EHR adoption and providing greater value for our hospital clients. We furnish a built-out, tailored solution based on each individual hospital’s needs and workflow. They’re not burdened with time-consuming data entry and can focus their valuable time on patient care.”

RazorInsights’ clients are finding a fast-track route to Meaningful Use success with ONE’s simple-user interface and single-database delivery system. Its intuitive design allows administrators and clinicians with limited technical skills the ability to quickly transition. Additionally, its innovative use of cloud technology renders seamless upgrades and a secure, HIPPA compliant connection that can be accessed from nearly any device. ONE is reducing training time and providing much quicker implementations.

RazorInsights’ “Meaningful Use” track record further validated Stewart-Webster’s EHR decision. Contrary to many other vendors placing its clients on a long waiting list, RazorInsights’ hospitals are “going live” in under 90 days and 100% of its live clients have achieved Stage 1 Meaningful Use.

Ransom Stigleman, president & CFO for Stewart-Webster Hospital, indicated that he and his staff had been working for a year trying to qualify for the EHR incentive programs, but could not find a realistically priced solution. “A Critical Access Hospital cannot afford many of the systems offered,” he said.

“RazorInsights has a system that is affordable and will work for all hospitals. We feel that RazorInsights understands the demand on the hospital’s time and money, and is working hard to solve the problems of our hospital in this ever expanding technology age.”

RazorInsights recently expanded its offerings with a fully-integrated financial management solution residing on the same database as its clinical system. With an ambulatory solution currently being developed, RazorInsights will soon unveil its single-database, ONE Enterprise Edition.

“Meaningful Use is the basis for health information exchange in the U.S. and will become the core workflow for physicians,” said Jeff Surges, CEO of Merge Healthcare. ”With the recently proposed Stage 2 requirements that focus heavily on the viewing of diagnostic images, it’s clear that specialties like radiology and orthopaedics are very much so included in Meaningful Use. Now is the time for specialty physicians to adopt a Meaningful Use strategy so they can qualify for Stage 1 funding, while preparing for Stage 2.”

“While there are financial reasons to focus on Meaningful Use, the driver for us is that it is going to build a foundation upon which we can provide even better care to our patients,” said Ellis Keitt, Administrator, Radiology Associates, LLP. ”With Merge RIS™, we are going to be able to collect and share valuable information, automatically trend clinical data and report on MU measures.”

Merge RIS v7.0 provides a radiology-specific EHR with complete certification that enables radiologists to capture and report on the metrics required to demonstrate Meaningful Use of electronic health records, without disrupting their traditional workflow. With Merge RIS v7.0, radiologists can qualify to receive up to $44,000 in stimulus incentives, per eligible provider, and more importantly, avoid future penalties that will come from not meeting Meaningful Use.

Merge RIS v7.0 functionality includes ePrescribing, enhanced reporting that enables physicians to automatically trend clinical data and report on Meaningful Use measures, new clinical decision support, the clinical exchange of health information through industry standard formats, and a patient portal that empowers patients to access their records at their convenience. This new functionality was built natively within the intuitive, web-based Merge RIS so that any radiology practice can achieve Meaningful Use attestation in a manner that works for their specialty.

“With Merge OrthoEMR™ we can meet Meaningful Use criteria and earn stimulus incentives,” said Vickie Shuler, Clinic Administrator, Western Carolina Orthopaedic Specialists. “Using Merge OrthoEMR also means we’ll avoid financial penalties that are coming to those not using MU-certified solutions. The most important aspect of Merge OrthoEMR for us is that it will help us provide better care, streamline our workflow and improve operational efficiencies.”

Merge OrthoEMR has received complete EHR Ambulatory certification and provides orthopaedic physicians the tools needed to achieve Meaningful Use and qualify for incentive funds. By providing instant access to images at all locations, Merge’s OrthoEMR eliminates the need for transporting images, improves workflow and speeds patient care.

In addition to Merge OrthoEMR, Merge provides an integrated suite of products developed for the specific needs of the orthopaedic practice, from patient information to image management including digital templating. Developed by orthopaedic specialists, our systems and tools mirror charting and patient care today, increasing the long-term adoptability and satisfaction of users. Plus, with imaging and data sharing they promote interoperability, without forcing conformance to non-specialty hospital-based solutions.

William O'Toole

You may think the difficult work is done after you’ve selected an EMR system for your hospital or medical practice, but the decisions don’t end with product selection.  An EMR contract is an important and legally binding document, and it’s absolutely essential to consider every line of fine print before accepting the terms.

Following are some of the top tier items to look for in your vendor’s proposed EHR contract, assuming that your implementation of an EMR is dependent on ARRA/HITECH reimbursement. Consider reviewing your contract with an EMR attorney before signing.

These items are only a sampling of important contract issues to consider with an EMR attorney. There are many others that are critical for your protection – such as payment terms, limitation of liability, copyright/patent protection, etc. The above list is intended to be a highlight of the top issues pertaining to your ability to obtain reimbursement from the government for your investment in EMR technology. Most vendors recognize this, but some unfortunately some do not provide the corresponding protections for their customers.

Mr. O’Toole founded the O’Toole Law Group, PC, specializing exclusively in healthcare information technology, following his tenure as Corporate Counsel at Medical Information Technology (MEDITECH).  The O’Toole Law Group represents healthcare provider entities and technology companies in all aspects of technology acquisition, development and distribution with a special emphasis on EHR contract creation and negotiation. He has also produced an excellent white paper on the subject of EHR Contract Negotiation called Selection and Negotiation of EHR Contracts for Providers.

The O’Toole Law Group is not only an excellent resource for EMR Daily News readers; they are also a valued sponsor.

“We are very pleased to be able to now offer this amazingly intuitive, fully integrated practice management solution, on a web-based platform,” said Muhammad Chebli, Vice President of Information Technology. “The ONC-ATCB certification of the MTBC WebEHR validates that MTBC WebEHR can help providers achieve the meaningful use incentive. The MTBC WebEHR, which is our second EHR product to receive ONC-ATCB certification, incorporates everything that we have learned about EHR design to create a truly unique and completely web-based user experience,” said Mr. Chebli.

“We’re very pleased to be able to offer our clients this powerful solution, which we believe to be unparalleled in its flexibility, ease of use and seamless integration with our unique practice management platform and business intelligence tools,” said Stephen Snyder, President.A”This solution will also be invaluable as we continue to accelerate our acquisition campaign; a campaign which has already resulted in two completed acquisitions during 2012,” explained Brendan Harney, Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions.

Two Elekta customer sites became the first MOSAIQ users to attest in 2012 by proving meaningful use over a 90-day period. During that period, the centers were required to meet 20 patient-focused measures using MOSAIQ to record and manage patient records electronically.

Four medical oncologists at Cancer Specialists of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, Okla.) submitted their attestations on April 5, qualifying each to receive $18,000 in incentive funds in 2012. Additional payments up to a total of $44,000 per physician are receivable until 2016 by continuing to meet meaningful use requirements under Medicare rules.

“Our physicians and staff are very pleased and proud at having met the challenging attestation requirements, and that they are in the first group of MOSAIQ users to do so,” says Margo Gonzales, Business Office Administrator at Cancer Specialists of Oklahoma.

A radiation oncologist from Tuality / Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Cancer Center LLC (Hillsboro, Ore.), submitted her attestation on April 12, according to Tina Dickerson, R.T.(R)(T), Chief Therapist/Manager at Tuality / OHSU Cancer Center, which is affiliated with the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

“Completing attestation for Stage 1 meaningful use is an accomplishment – I’m glad we were able to get it done this quickly,” she says. “The Elekta service group was on hand to help answer questions. The experience has made us more confident to achieve the next attestation for Stage 2 meaningful use.”

In 2012, centers are attesting for the first of three stages of meaningful use. Stage 2 criteria are in final review and are expected to be released in June 2012. These criteria will build on those from Stage 1, and MOSAIQ will be certified for all future stages.

In addition to providing a certified EMR, Elekta offers custom programs through its STRATEGIQ(TM) consultative services to help clients prepare to demonstrate meaningful use.

“We’re pleased to see the hard work by our customers on meaningful use is finally paying off,” says Todd Powell, Executive Vice President, Elekta Software. “MOSAIQ provides an important tool to make that possible, but the real credit for this achievement goes to the physicians, administrators and the rest of their teams who successfully took on this challenge.”