News 7/21/11

Beacon Partners announces the expansion of its Allscripts service lines to include consulting for Allscripts MyWay, Professional EHR, Enterprise EHR, and Practice Management.

The Reading Hospital (PA) selects PivotHealth to provide physician practice management services for its affiliated physicians. The hospital also names Gregory Lutz executive director of The Reading Hospital Medical Group. Interestingly, Lutz was most recently was a SVP with PivotHealth.

Cardio Pulmonary Diagnostic (NJ) and Hudson County Cardiovascular Care (NJ) contract for McKesson’s Practice Complete EHR and PM system.

AdvancedMD announces the release of its ONC ATCB-certified EHR 2011 solution that includes an enhanced patient portal, new Meaningful Use reporting tools, and utilities for submitting immunization and health surveillance data.

The seven provider Premier Medical Clinic (FL) chooses MedicsDocAssistant EHR from Advanced Data Systems.

For practices implementing EHRs, perhaps it’s mildly comforting to know the process is not any easier for physicians in Canada. The Canadian Medical Associates Journal (CMAJ) highlights some of the more common complaints from physicians adopting EMRs (most sound mighty familiar):

• Vendors give hard sales pitches and will try to sell items that aren’t necessarily required
• Software often comes with glitches
• Training is not always up to standard
• Practice administrators do not sufficiently involve physicians when selecting an EMR
• Government certification programs for EMRs don’t  address software usability or clinical needs
• Clinical data is not easily shared between systems.

The 13-physician Kootenai Imaging (ID) chooses McKesson Revenue Management Solutions, including preparation for ICD-10 coding changes and PQRI tracking.

DrChrono.com incorporates M*Modal’s Speech Understanding technology into its EHR application, making it the first medical speech-to-text functionality for the iPad. Check it out above.

Findings from an MGMA survey indicate that almost 70% of practices are in the process of becoming a patient-centered medical home and 20% are already accredited. The top challenges for PCMHs include establishing care coordination and modifying or adopting an EHR to support PCMH functions.

Surescripts recognizes Allscripts as one of seven Gold Solution Providers for e-Prescribing. Surescripts also awards e-MDs its White Coat of Quality.

The AMA introduces AMA Coding Online, a website that offers coding, billing, and compliance resources. Pricing for the tools range from $185 to $800 for a one-user, one-year subscription.

E-mail Inga.