News 8/31/10

CCHIT and Drummond Group are the first two entities selected as ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies. More organizations applied, but being first at this juncture has to be a mighty good thing. CCHIT says it will launch its certification program September 20 with a Web call explaining the application and testing process. Drummond says it will announce more specifics on August 31.

Sage Healthcare releases Intergy version 6.10, which includes the functionality required for physicians to meet Meaningful Use guidelines. Enhancements include MU dashboards, interoperability tools to connect with HIEs, and additional services within the Sage Intergy Practice Portal.

Interesting data points: practices managers average salaries $64,000 to $72,000 a year, depending on the geographic region. Receptionists in family practice offices make $24,000 a year; those in orthopedic offices earn $36,000. Over 90% of practices provide employees with health insurance.

Women’s Health Partners (OH) chooses the Aprima EHR/PM solution.

Ebix agrees to pay $66 million in stock to merge with A.D.A.M. The Ebix CEO says the deal “is a strategic step forward to establish Ebix as a Health Information Exchange and is likely to be followed by other strategic steps in coming months and years." Ebix is an international supplier of on-demand software and e-commerce services to the insurance industry. Ebix stock closed down 5% on Monday; A.D.A.M. jumped 72%.

AirStrip Technologies strikes a deal with Alere’s Women & Children’s Health division to market the AirStrip OB remote monitoring product. Alere is a provider of specialized health management services and will promote AirStrip’s OB product to physicians and hospitals.

Introducing, to your right, the first HIStalk Practice poll. A HIStalk reader actually suggested a similarly-worded question, which I appreciate. If you are using an EHR that is hosted by a hospital or vendor, please share what you are paying per physician per month.

gloStream adds Red Level Networks (MI) as a gold Partner, giving Red Level the opportunity to will sell and support gloStream products.

I look forward to hearing about how different RECs will set up their operations in terms of vendor selection and training offered. A senior director at the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care says her REC will charge providers between $300 and $2,0000 for two years of consulting services, depending on their needs. The cost for similar services on the open market would range from $25,000 to $50,000 a year.

A PHR embedded into a mobile device could become a game-changing killer app, according to Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Despite strong potential for mPHRs applications and growing consumer interest, plenty of barriers still exist, including concerns about privacy, data integrity, and lack of standards.

ScriptPad releases a hot-selling, $.99 iPhone app titled “Drug and Prescription Medical Reference Guide.” But, the company’s bigger project is a soon-to-be released e-prescribing app that includes Surescripts access and voice recognition. I see they are looking for beta clients, if that’s of interest.

The head of programming and operations at MacPractice predicts that iPads will replace stationary computers in exam rooms and physicians will embrace them while rounding in hospitals. Look for MacPractice to release its iPad-specific applications this fall.

Dr. Hank Chien, the NY plastic surgeon who was crowned the Donkey Kong king last February, has been dethroned. The new champion is a hot sauce magnate who was champion before Chien beat his game record. I predict Chien will seek a comeback.

E-mail Inga.