Quality Systems (QSI) — parent company of NextGen Healthcare Information Systems — is acquiring Opus Healthcare Solutions. NextGen Healthcare will focus on providing solutions to hospitals with 100 beds or less. Opus produces Web-based clinical solutions to hospital systems and integrated health networks, and is one of only three’08 CCHIT Certified vendors in the inpatient […]
Adoption of the EHR in Physician Office Settings
Conventional wisdom suggests that physician-based office practices have been slow to adopt Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. According to a survey from 2007, the biggest barriers to adoption include the cost of initial capitalization (84% of respondents), start-up financial costs ongoing financial costs (82%), and loss of productivity (81%) for physician office settings (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2215070/?report=abstract). There […]
CCHIT Stays in Step with Interim Regulation
Both CCHIT’s Comprehensive and Modular EHR certification programs will be updated to conform to the Meaningful Use Interim Final Rule, and applications for certification will open on the rule’s effective date of Feb. 12, according to the organization. CCHIT says approximately 12 vendors that had already achieved certification under its latest programs will be offered […]
One-on-One w/MedStar Health’s Gerry Higgins – Part 2
Gerald Higgins, PhD., MBA, MS, is not your typical CIO — that’s because Higgins is a chief innovation officer. Getting paid not to carry out EMR implementations or persuade physicians to embrace CPOE, Higgins is remunerated to “see what’s happening one or two hills over the horizon.” With a dizzying array of jobs and accomplishments […]
One-on-One w/MedStar Health’s Gerry Higgins
Gerald Higgins, PhD., MBA, MS, is not your typical CIO — that’s because Higgins is a chief innovation officer. Getting paid not to carry out EMR implementations or persuade physicians to embrace CPOE, Higgins is remunerated to “see what’s happening one or two hills over the horizon.” With a dizzying array of jobs and accomplishments […]
Despite Regulatory Haze, CCHIT Marches On
CCHIT has certified 14 products under its two new programs — CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive and Preliminary ARRA 2011. The CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive program differs from the Preliminary ARRA certification program by providing a more rigorous inspection of integrated EHR functionality, interoperability, and security in addition to full compliance with federal standards, according to […]
CHIME Concerned About Meaningful Use Definition
Reporting, product certification and implementation deadlines represent major concerns that could affect efforts to implement EHRs under HITECH, according to CHIME. CHIME’s initial analysis of the provisions favors the phased approach used to measure the meaningful use of EHRs. “Through the phased approach, first-year meaningful use criteria will apply to hospitals whenever they are eligible. […]