The article about Pediatric Associates in CA has a nugget with a potentially outsized impact: the implication that VFC vaccines…
News 8/26/10
PerfectServe introduces PerfectServe Clinician, a free iPhone application that works with PerfectServe’s hospital communication system. Mr. H chatted with PerfectServe CEO Terry Edwards a couple of months ago. It’s an interesting read about a unique product.
Culbert Healthcare Solutions earns a spot on Inc. Magazine’s Top 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies. Culbert says that strong growth from physician practice management services and IT implementation services have helped propel the company to #988 in its first year of eligibility.
Meanwhile, Allscripts earns a #22 spot on the Fortune’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies. Allscripts ranked sixth among healthcare companies and was the only HIT company among that group.
MGMA sends CMS a letter regarding the proposed 2011 fee schedule. A few notable HIT points:
- MGMA urges CMS to revise its proposal to impose 2012 e-prescribing penalties to reflect 2012 e-prescribing activity versus the first six months of 2011.
- MGMA says CMS should exercise additional flexibility in assigning e-prescribing penalties. For example, CMS should give consideration to higher-volume prescribers who practice in geographic areas where local pharmacies do not have eRx capabilities, or to prescribers in specialties that require a high volume of controlled substance prescriptions that can’t be sent electronically.
- MGMA believes CMS should not assign any e-prescribing penalties to providers who meet Meaningful Use objectives. CMS will administer the 2011 EHR incentive program separately from its 2011 e-prescribing program and the criteria varies between the two.
For $10 a month, patients can sign up for GreatCall, a prescription reminder service available through Jitterbug cell phones. The Web site says patients get a “friendly” reminder call for up to 16 medications and consumers can indicate when they’ve taken their meds for compliance tracking. It’s unclear if the “friendly” reminder comes from real person or a computer, but I’m guessing computer.
Feeling the need to learn more about achieving EHR Meaningful Use goals? I noticed on the Industry Events link on HIStalk we have a number of webinar and conference options available. Click over and check them out.
Good read: California physician Rahul K. Parikh writes about his use of Google and the Internet for medical research. He points out it can be a great tool, but warns of potential pitfalls. Parikh recommends that providers become search savvy before relying too heavily on online research tools. “Unless you’re Internet savvy enough and have time to scan pages and pages of websites, skip Googling for diagnoses and just call your nearest specialist for help.”
Novo Nordisk introduces a new iPhone app for physicians. The NovoDose applications gives providers the ability to look up insulin dosing guidelines and blood glucose goals for their diabetic patients.
Ingenix Consulting launches a Strategic Technology Solutions practice, targeting large practices and hospitals. Scott Kolesar, formerly of Wellspring Partners and EDS, will lead the group.
ISALUS Healthcare jumps into the mobile app craze, with the introduction of a new EMR-EHR app. ISALUS’s mobile app will give physician users the ability to access patient charts via their iPhones.
Of great concern for those who are working with providers aiming to qualify for the EHR incentives programs (Medicaid and Medicare): under the Final Rule on Meaningful Use, and the ONC rules on EHR certification, any system that “informs” the EHR in supporting meaningful use MUST ALSO BE CERTIFIED. In other words, a practice management system that provides patient demographics to the EMR must be certified as an “EMR module”…a dental system being used by a Medicaid dentist must also be certified…Guess what, do the vendors of these systems have any plans to get these systems certified, and under what criteria and process? I don’t think many of them are even aware that this will be needed — but the EPs can’t collect incentive payments if their system(s) are not certified. The pressure is on, folks. For information on some certification criteria, check the NIST.gov website, http://healthcare.nist.gov/use_testing/finalized_requirements.html.