Re: Walmart Health: Just had a great dental visit this morning, which was preceded by helpful reminders from Epic, and…
News 4/1/10
gloStream is the latest EMR to announce a stimulus guarantee program. To qualify, doctors must use the gloStream software “properly,” which includes following gloStream’s gloDNA implementation process. The company says that physicians who follow the correct process will be able to demonstrate meaningful use and thus become eligible for stimulus funding. While I am sure all these guarantees companies are making are on the up and up, I sure wish I had a crystal ball so I could look ahead a couple years to see how all these implementations turn out.
Navicure snatches up a couple of industry veterans for its management team. David Bond, Allscripts’ former Healthmatics division president, is Navicure’s new VP of sales, while ISTA CEO Kernie Brashier signs on as CTO.
IT consulting firm ProviDyn signs on as a reseller for Aprima Medical Software.
Amazing Charts announces the release of Amazing Charts V5, that includes ePrescribing, a health maintenance component, and order and referral tracking. I also hear that Amazing Chart’s CEO and Founder Jon Bertman, MD will be debating Greenway Medical’s Justin Barnes in a HCPLive-sponsored event. The two will square off April 14th from 12:30 TO 1:30 PM (ET) during a webinar entitled, “Small Vs. Large EHR Vendors: What’s Best for Your Practice.” Register here.
Central Connecticut Medical Management selects Ingenix CareTracker practice management and e-prescribing system for its 16-office, 59-physician group.
Ophthalmic Imaging Solution reports 2009 net losses of $5.5 million, compared to a net loss of just under $3 million in 2008. Revenues increased 8.6% to $13.6 million in 2009. Among other offerings, Ophthalmic Imaging Systems sells a CCHIT-certificated EHR and practice management solution. I don’t know the ins and outs of this company, but as a casual observer, I can’t help be reminded that just because a product is certified and seems well-suited for a particular specialty, it’s always a good idea to check out the financial status of your potential vendor.
Texas Tech University hopes its new Family Medicine Accelerated Track plan will encourage more medical students to choose family practice as a specialty. The program is three years, versus the traditional four, and provides a $13,000 scholarship to each student going into family practice. In other words, less school, less money, plus some scholarship money. I’m not sure I’d pick Lubbock, Texas as a place I’d want to spend three years, but otherwise, it sounds like a sweet deal.
Even though more people than ever turn to the Internet for health information, patients are also trusting their doctors more than ever to decipher the wealth of information available. It turns out patients are increasingly skeptical of information found on the Internet, though they like using the Web to correspond with their doctors. Personally I enjoy surfing every once in awhile, just to assess myself for incurable diseases, like canities.
Regarding gloStream guarantee: So the doctor has to use the software “properly” which means that they have to perform all of the meaningful use data entry. If they don’t do all of the required data entry, then no money back.
This doesn’t sound much different from the guarantees of the other vendors which basically just guarantee that their software will meet the government certification guidelines. The onus is still on the physicians.
Well said , any companies offering money back guarantees for stimulus monies needs to be carefully examined and all of the small print read. Most of the guarantees are not worth the paper they are written on. It is a misleading proposition.
The real question doctors should be asking is how can this make my practice more efficent and deliver better care. Will this program make me more productive, deliver better care and safety to patients or am I looking at the wrong reasons for buying an EMR.
Stimulus monies can help cover the cost of implementation but it is a long twisting road to get to meaningful use and actually getting the money.