News 6/11/13

As of the end of April, approximately one out of every two Medicare EPs were meaningful users of EHRs. Other key stats reported by the HIT Policy Committee last week:

• 63 percent of all Medicaid EPs have received an EHR incentive payment, though only 10 percent are meaningful users
• EPs have been paid over $5.9 billion from Medicare and Medicaid since the inception of the EHR incentive program
• Of the 194,080 EPs that have attested for MU, only 213 were unsuccessful.

Horizon Health Center (NJ) expands its relationship with eClinicalWorks to include eClinicalWorks Care Coordination Medical Record for advancing its ACO objectives.

iMDsoft and Anesthesia Business Consultants (ABC) partner to offer iMDsoft’s mobile solution for electronic documentation with ABC’s F1RSTUse EHR platform.

Black Canyon Surgical Center (CO) goes live on Cyramed EHR (previously known as Source Plus EHR) by Mountain Medical Technologies.

Clinigence, a 2013 PQRS Qualified EHR Data Submission vendor, will offer PQRS reporting capabilities to SpringCharts EHR users.

athenahealth ranks 13th on Forbes Fast Tech 25 2013, which includes the fastest-growing publically traded technology companies with minimum revenues of $150 million, minimum market value of $500 million, and sales growth of at least 10 percent for each of the past three fiscal years.

EHR and PM provider MEDENT adds Surescripts’ Basic Messaging and Communications offering for the secure transmission of patient health information.

Endo Health Solutions considers selling its HealthTronics division, which develops and markets the meridianEMR and UroChartEMR platforms used by over 2,000 urologists. Such uncertainty is never fun for end users, not to mention sales people.

A Kansas newspaper profiles two physicians who are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of embracing technology. The first doctor is 85 and dictates his notes to an assistant, who handwrites the notes into patients’ charts. The second physician is 32, uses a free EMR, communicates with patients through email and Twitter, and conducts appointments through Skype and FaceTime. He also expresses frustration with the poor design of most EMRs.

“When you’re used to using very clean designs — a MacBook, an iPhone, Twitter, Facebook — and you sit down on an EMR (electronic medical record system), it’s like stepping back in time 15 or 20 years.”

 

Athenahealth scores highest in ambulatory EMR usability according to a new KLAS report. Success in achieving high usability in different EHRs ranged from 55 percent (McKesson) to 85 percent (athenahealth), while athenahealth and eClinicalWorks had the best usability “out of the gate.”

MyMedical Records agrees to dismiss its patent infringement lawsuit against WebMD and settle the dispute out of court. Meanwhile, MyMedicalRecords initiates a similar lawsuit against Allscripts subsidiary Jardogs. In case you missed it, earlier this year Mr. H interviewed MyMedical Records CEO Robert Lorsch  who said his company sends out “somewhere between 600 and 750 letters as week” to providers and PHR vendors about potential infringement. He also reiterated that, “we are not trolling with these patents.”

I wonder if MyMedicalRecords has sent one of its letters to Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic announced last week that  it will add physician notes, images, pathology reports, and results to its Epic MyChart patient portal. I personally can’t wait for the day I can log onto my doctor’s Website and download my records. Just this morning I called my doctor’s office to request a copy of a report. I spent 10 minutes navigating the phone system, only to leave a message. I got a call back within an hour, which pleased me. However, I was told  they could not email me the report, but could mail it to me if I signed a release, which they could fax me (not email me) and I could fax it back. Great, except I haven’t had a fax machine in at least five years. Guess I will be driving across town to the doctor’s office if I want the report any time soon.

E-mail Inga.