e-MDs announced it has been selected as an EHR vendor partner by HITArkansas, the state’s federally designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (HITREC).   HITArkansas works to promote the adoption and use of health IT by offering guidance, technical assistance and financial incentives to health care providers who want to make the transition to
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eCareSoft announced today the completion of an agreement with Central Texas Hospital (CTH) to connect their network of six hospitals with eCareSoft’s inpatient complete EHR and revenue cycle management technology. CTH will incorporate eCareSoft’s proprietary fast-track implementation program enabling their hospital network to expedite their ‘meaningful use’ activities in order to qualify for 2011-2012 stimulus
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An internist, whose solo practice has been paperless since 2006, leveraged his EMR to dramatically improve patient outcomes and create a more efficient and financially productive office environment. Edward Rippel, M.D., who owns Quinnipiac Internal Medicine in Hamden, CT, recently became the state’s first solo practitioner to achieve national recognition as a Level 3 Patient-Centered
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CDW Healthcare, part of the public sector subsidiary of CDW LLC, today announced the results of a national survey on patient perceptions of electronic health records (EHRs) and the security of personal health information (PHI). The report, “Elevated Heart Rates: EHR and IT Security,” found that while patients trust their doctors to protect their information,
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Muskogee Bone and Joint & Sports Medicine Clinic, a four-physician medical group based in Muskogee, OK, has selected ChartLogic’s EHR (electronic health record) Suite. The clinic includes three orthopedic surgeons, a board-certified Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician and an X-ray department. The medical group serves local school sports teams and provides event coverage for the
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Few healthcare organizations have successfully created a totally paperless environment to deliver patient care. This significant feat is the cornerstone of HIMSS Stage 7 designation. Only 11 health systems representing 55 hospitals can claim HIMSS Stage 7 status. Inside Healthcare IT recently spoke with IT leaders at four of those health systems about achieving this
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Smart card technology and smart card-based systems can aid in meeting the requirements for Meaningful Use while addressing many of the security and privacy challenges that come with electronic health records and health data exchange, according to a white paper released this month by the Smart Card Alliance. The paper, “Getting to Meaningful Use and
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In the process of creating an enterprise health information exchange for his health system’s affiliated physicians, John Norenberg, Advocate Health Care’s vice president of physician services, learned a valuable lesson

“Our physicians aren’t interested in anything but results,” he says. “They don’t care which layer of the technology is underperforming and they don’t care whose vendor is underperforming. As a result, if there’s a problem, I own it. You have to understand that going into a project like ours.”

While many physician practices across the country are motivated to go digital by the potential cost savings, for a community health center, the move from paper to electronic health records was all about patient quality of care. “As a community health center, we don’t have the opportunities that private practices have to reduce costs by
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The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) launched a new certification program earlier this month in an effort to guide hospitals through the process of certifying their self-developed and/or customized legacy systems.

“In talking to colleagues at hospitals, we realized most had not been through a certification process like vendors,” explains Alisa Ray, CCHIT’s executive director. “They needed a little extra help in learning how to navigate the process.”