News & Events

GET READY! Standards for Electronic Transactions- New Versions, New Standard and New Code Set - 5010 and ICD-10 Final Rules

On January 16, 2009, HHS published two final rules to adopt updated HIPAA standards; these rules are available at the Federal Register.

In one rule, HHS is adopting X12 Version 5010 and NCPDP Version D.0 for HIPAA transactions. In this rule, HHS also adopts a new standard for Medicaid subrogation for pharmacy claims, known as NCPDP Version 3.0. For Version 5010 and Version D.0, the compliance date for all covered entities is January 1, 2012. This gives the industry enough time to test the standards internally, to ensure that systems have been appropriately updated, and then to test between trading partners before the compliance date. The compliance date for the Medicaid subrogation standard is also January 1, 2012, except for small health plans, which will have until January 1, 2013 to come into compliance.

In a separate final rule, HHS modifies the standard medical data code sets for coding diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures by concurrently adopting the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) for diagnosis coding and the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Procedural Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) for inpatient hospital procedure coding. These new codes replace the current International Classification , 9th Revision, Clinical Modification, Volumes 1 and 2 and the International Classification , 9th Revision, Clinical Modification, Volume 3 for diagnosis and procedure codes respectively. The implementation date for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS is October 1, 2013 for all covered entities.

Version 5010 accommodates the ICD-10 code sets, and has an earlier compliance date than ICD-10 in order to ensure adequate testing time for the industry. These two rules apply to all HIPAA covered entities, including health plans, health care clearinghouses, and certain health care providers.

Government mandated changes require upgrades to your billing software by January 1st 2012. Limited Time! Free Billing Module with the SMARTDC EHR system.

Don't wait, call: (855) 762-7863.

Date: 10/12/2011

Come see and experience a demo of our new Clinician Desktop 4.1 Complete Certified EHR at the North American Spine Society's Annual convention, November 2-5, 2011 in Chicago- Booth 137

Date: 04/01/2011

SMARTMD™ Corporation Receives ONC-ATCB Certification by Drummond Group

April 1, 2011 Fort Lauderdale , FL — SMARTMD™ Corporation announced today that Clinical Desktop version 4.1, the company's electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) software, has received the federal government's “meaningful use” stamp of approval by earning Complete EHR Certification. The designation officially deems the electronic health record (EHR) software capable of enabling providers to qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Tested and certified under the Drummond Group's Electronic Health Records Office of the National Coordinator Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) program, the EHR software is 2011/2012 compliant in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“The certification validates that our software can help providers take part in the electronic revolution in the US healthcare industry. Healthcare providers can now leverage our software to not only make significant care improvements but to also achieve meaningful use and qualify for incentive funds under ARRA. We are proud to offer providers the opportunity to truly improve care in their communities,” says Nandip Kothari , President/CEO of SMARTMD ™ .

Drummond Group's ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that EHRs meet the meaningful use criteria for either eligible provider or hospital technology. In turn, healthcare providers using the EHR systems of certified vendors are qualified to receive federal stimulus monies upon demonstrating meaningful use of the technology -- a key component of the federal government's push to improve clinical care delivery through the adoption and effective use of EHRs by U.S. healthcare providers.

“The need to leverage information technology in the healthcare industry is huge – as the quality of care and efficiency benefits that come with computerization can really make a difference in the overall patient experience. We're ready to help transform the industry by providing the sophisticated software testing services that ensure that vendors and hospitals are offering systems that are capable of meeting the meaningful use standards required to obtain incentive funds as well as the rich functionality required to move the clinical care needle forward,” says Rik Drummond, CEO of the Drummond Group.

This Complete EHR is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by Drummond Group, an ONC-ATCB approved to certify any complete or modular EHR both ambulatory and inpatient, in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments. SMARTMD™ Corporation, March 31 st , 2011, Clinician Desktop v4.1, Certification ID #03312011-2386-1, Clinical Quality Measures tested include NQF 0421, 0013, 0028, 0041, 0024, 20038, 0059, 0064, and 0061. Additional software used includes RelayHealth and Medline Plus.

About SMARTMD ™ Corporation
SMARTMD ™ is a leading provider of clinical productivity applications and business services for the healthcare industry. Our products and services assist practices in streamlining operations, reducing expenses, and complying with industry regulations enabling physicians to dedicate more time to providing quality care for their patients. Founded as a transcription company in 1999, SMARTMD ™ quickly expanded to provide medical billing services, including personal injury protection (PIP), Electronic Health Records, scheduling software, electronic insurance eligibility verification and a mobile app for the iPhone to streamline the transcription process. In 2011 SMARTMD ™ launched an EHR Incentive Concierge Service, and a mobile application for hospital and nursing home rounds. SMARTMD currently provides services for over 1200 physicians across 39 states.

About Drummond Group
Drummond Group Inc., the trusted software test lab, provides effective and efficient electronic health record (EHR) testing to healthcare information technology vendors and hospitals. As an Office of the National Coordinator Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB), Drummond Group works closely with healthcare software vendors and hospitals to certify EHRs that are looking to qualify for incentive funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Drummond Group is approved to certify both complete and modular EHR for both ambulatory and inpatient. Leveraging more than a decade's worth of interoperability, conformance testing and certification experience in multiple industries, Drummond Group delivers what's needed in healthcare: highly reliable and readily affordable software testing services. For more information, go to www.drummondgroup.com.

SMARTDC Corp. was recognized by the Florida Chiropractic Association and given its “Best Display Winner” award as one of its most outstanding expo displays at its recent FCA Spring Convention and Expo 2011.

Date: 03/26/2011

Come see and experience a demo of our EHR 4.1 Clinician Desktop at the Pri-Med West 2011 convention Anaheim, California - Booth 319

Date: 02/10/2011

SMARTDC™ Releases Rounds Mobile App

Fort Lauderdale, FL., February 10, 2011– SMARTDC™ Corporation announced today the release of a new mobile app for the iPad, iPhone and Android, SMARTDC Rounds™.

“SMARTDC™ Rounds was designed in response to requests by our customers for a more efficient way to capture and submit charges when performing rounds at the hospital or nursing homes. Many were jotting notes on index cards that they would hand off to their biller once a week so the charges could be submitted. Claims could be even further delayed if a key piece of information was missing.” stated SMARTDC™ President, Nandip Kothari . “Using a mobile app to capture charges allows billing staff to review and submit charges instantly to shorten the reimbursement cycle.”

The SMARTDC™ Rounds mobile app can be used as a self-contained, stand alone product or as an integrated part of SMARTDC™ Clinician Desktop, an Electronic Health Records solution. SMARTDC™ Rounds is the fastest and easiest way to capture charges from SMARTDC Rounds and nursing home visits and provides immediate benefits to practitioners:

• Streamline charge capture and shorten your billing cycle
• Never be without critical medical information to aid in your decisions
• Effortlessly share essential patient history with covering physicians

“The ability of today's practitioner to have this critical information at his or her fingertips not only increases efficiency, but it reduces exposure to the liability of uninformed decisions,” Mr. Kothari continued. “SMARTDC Rounds will become an essential tool for practitioners who routinely cover rounds for colleagues; the seamless transition it allows from provider to provider will set a new standard of care.”

More than 50% of physicians are using smart phones or PDAs on a regular basis to assist them in managing and treating their patients. SMARTDC™ Rounds is the second mobile app in less than a year to bring value to SMARTDC customers; a collaboration with Dictamus in 2010 allows SMARTDC's transcription customers to use an iPhone to record dictations and securely relay the voice files to SMARTDC.

Company Profile

SMARTDC is a leading provider of clinical productivity applications and business services for the healthcare industry. Our products and services help practices streamline operations, reduce expenses, and comply with industry regulations enabling physicians to dedicate more time to providing quality care for their patients. Founded as a transcription company in 1999, SMARTDC quickly expanded to provide medical billing services, including personal injury protection (PIP). Our 800+ transcriptionists and billing specialists currently provide services for over 1600 physicians across 39 states.

In late 2010, SMARTDC expanded again to offer Electronic Health Records, scheduling software, electronic insurance eligibility verification and a mobile app for the iPhone to streamline the transcription process. In 2011 SMARTDC launched an EHR Incentive Concierge Service, a mobile app for hospital/nursing home rounds and will soon release fully integrated billing software. SMARTDC provides services for virtually every specialty with an emphasis on becoming the premier EHR vendor for the following specialties: Orthopedic Surgery, Sports Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pain Management, Chiropractic, Podiatry, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Internal Medicine, Family Practice and General Practice.

Visit us online at www.SMART-DC.com or toll-free at 855-762-7863 to see a demonstration of our new SMARTDC Rounds™ app.

Media contact information:
Dr. Craig Berko, Vice-President of Marketing- SMARTDC Corp.
drcberko@SMART-DC.com
954.612.2266

Come see us at the following conventions and experience a demonstration of our EHR 3.1 Clinician Desktop:

Florida Chiropractic Association Spring Convention, March 17-20th 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront, Jacksonville , Florida.

SMARTDC Releases EHR version 3.1

Fort Lauderdale , FL – December 20, 2010 – SMARTDC, Inc. announced today the general availability of its 3.1 EHR (Electronic Medical Record) product. SMARTDC provides a pain free path for transcription customers to migrate to electronic charts. The SMARTDC suite of services – transcription, billing, and EHR – provides a one-stop solution for small to medium practices. Additionally, Congress recently extended the amount that small businesses may write-off for capital expenditures to $134,000 ( See below on this IRS benefit for your EHR purchase in 2010 ). “This latest release of our EHR product includes an improved, efficient and easy to use document encounter notes and along with the products ability to capture charges. With industry leading innovations such as in-line editing and diagnosis-driven templates, SMARTDC offers a unique architecture that is ideally suited for a small practice. Of more importance to our thousands of transcription customers is that this 3.1 release seamlessly integrates with our dictation services featuring one dictation to fill all sections. In fact, current transcription clients can upgrade to our EHR with minimal disruption to their business” states SMARTDC President, Nandip Kothari.

To experience a live demonstration of our EHR, please contact directly:
Mr. Kevin Wolfe,
Vice-President of Sales.
Cell: 414-418-6695 or E-Mail KWolfe@SMART-DC.com

SMARTDC presented…The 4 key steps you need to know to participate in the EHR incentive program; Your Invited for webinar!

Join us for a Webinar on December 16
Space is limited.

This 45-minute lunchtime webinar is for physicians, healthcare administrators and office staff.
Title: SMARTDC Presents… The 4 key steps you need to know to participate in the EHR incentive program

Date: Thursday, December 16, 2010 
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST

SMARTDC Presented, "How, Where & When to apply for the EHR Incentive Program" ;

This webinar will answer all of your EHR Federal Incentive questions. Included in this webinar, will be such topics as:

1. The 6 required criteria you need to meet before you apply
2. The essential steps required before choosing an incentive program
3. What is Meaningful Use (MU) and how to achieve it
4. The timelines to meet MU criteria
5. 4 questions to ask yourself prior to your EHR purchase
6. How, where & when to apply for the EHR Incentive Program

This webinar is for physicians, office managers, administrators and additional support staff. Bring your lunch and join us!

If you are unable to attend, but would like one of our sales specialists to personally call or e-mail you to schedule a demonstration of our EHR solution, please register as if attending the FREE WEBINAR and answer the last question on the bottom of the registration form.

Title: SMARTDC's FREE How, Where & When to apply for the EHR Incentive
Program WEBINAR
Date: Thursday, November 18, 2010
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST

Date: 08/31/2010

SMARTDC Launches Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter Pages; Your Invited!

You are invited to connect with us through SMARTDC's very own Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn social media websites. SMARTDC will use these sites to provide you with timely news and industry highlights that can affect your practices bottom line. There will also be practice management tips and suggestions to better streamline and strengthen your business. You will now have the opportunity share your very own comments on our products, offer ideas and even share your own industry tips.

More important; these three social media sites will have weekly discussion forums on the latest news and views from Washington D.C. Read and discuss with other SMARTDC clients and friends on any issue regarding such hot topics as the ONC's EHR Federal Incentive program and how your practice can begin the steps to achieve meaningful use and more.

We encourage you to be our friend and follow us by joining our new SMARTDC social sites on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

To discuss with us on Facebook, visit www.SMART-DC.com and click the Facebook icon at the bottom of the home page. Connect with us by clicking Sign Up.

To tweet with us on Twitter, visit www.SMART-DC.com and click the Twitter icon at the bottom of the home page. Tweet your thoughts by clicking Sign Up.

Our very own Linkedin page will go live Saturday, September 4, 2010. Remember to share your thoughts with us on LinkedIn, visit www.SMART-DC.com and click the LinkedIn icon at the bottom of the home page. You will have to quickly create an account and then search groups for SMARTDC. Once you've found us, send your request to join the group.

We look forward to seeing you online!

Date: 07/13/2010

FINAL RULE PUBLISHED TODAY BY CMS & HHS

Both CMS and HHS issued today the final rule for meaningful use. Below is an excerpt from today's press release and has been printed in its entirety by going online to www.SMART-DC.com and click on our SMARTDC blog page.

It was on June 4, 2010 that SMARTDC announced the general availability of its own EHR 2.5 (Electronic Medical Record) product, providing a pain free path for transcription customers to migrate to electronic charts in advance of impending government regulations. The SMARTDC suite of services – transcription, billing, and EHR – provides a one-stop solution for small to medium practices.

“This latest release of our EHR 2.5 product and the final rule being published is perfect timing for our clients and today's physician. Our solution seamlessly integrates with our dictation services and clients can upgrade to our EHR with minimal disruption to their business. And now as you will read, CMS and HHS have created great flexibility in achieving meaningful use” states SMARTDC President, Nandip Kothari.

One of the major changes in the final rule now requires providers to meet a “core” group of objectives, such as electronic prescribing, providing patients who request it an electronic copy of their health information and maintaining an active medication list. NOW, instead of 25, physicians must meet 15 of those core requirements, and hospitals must meet 14.

Providers must also choose 10 measures from a “menu set” of procedures they have to meet, but may defer up to five of them to the next stage, creating flexibility for today's business physician. The measures from this “a la carte” set include incorporating clinical lab results in EHRs, creating a summary of care as patient transitions through providers and maintain an up-to-date problems list of diagnoses.

As you will read below, a two-track approach has been established to create even further flexibility and to ensure that the most basic elements of meaningful EHR use will be met by all providers qualifying for incentive payments.

For example, in the proposed rule physicians had to prescribe 75 percent of their prescriptions electronically, while in the final rule that level is 40 percent. The number of clinical decision support orders also is down to one from five.

SECRETARY SEBELIUS ANNOUNCES FINAL RULES TO SUPPORT MEANINGFUL USE OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS

WASHINGTON – July 13, 2010 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced final rules to help improve Americans' health, increase safety and reduce health care costs through expanded use of electronic health records (EHR). 

“For years, health policy leaders on both sides of the aisle have urged adoption of electronic health records throughout our health care system to improve quality of care and ultimately lower costs,” Secretary Sebelius said.  “Today, with the leadership of the President and the Congress, we are making that goal a reality.” Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, eligible health care professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified EHR technology and use it to achieve specified objectives.  One of the two regulations announced today defines the “meaningful use” objectives that providers must meet to qualify for the bonus payments, and the other regulation identifies the technical capabilities required for certified EHR technology. 

 Announcement of today's regulations marks the completion of multiple steps laying the groundwork for the incentive payments program.  With “meaningful use” definitions in place, EHR system vendors can ensure that their systems deliver the required capabilities, providers can be assured that the system they acquire will support achievement of “meaningful use” objectives, and a concentrated five-year national initiative to adopt and use electronic records in health care can begin. 

To read the entire press release issued today, go online to www.SMART-DC.com and click on our SMARTDC blog page.

Date: 06/04/2010

SMARTDC Releases EHR version 2.5
SMARTDC, Inc. announced today the general availability of its EHR (Electronic Medical Record) product. SMARTDC provides a pain free path for transcription customers to migrate to electronic charts in advance of impending government regulations. The SMARTDC suite of services – transcription, billing, and EHR – provides a one-stop solution for small to medium practices.

“This latest release of our EHR product includes industry leading innovations such as in-line editing and diagnosis-driven templates. Of more importance to our thousands of transcription customers is that this release seamlessly integrates with our dictation services. In fact, current transcription clients can upgrade to our EHR with minimal disruption to their business” states SMARTDC President, Nandip Kothari.

Though the amount of physicians deploying EHR's have increased substantially in just a matter of 1-2 years, most physicians have still not made their purchase, nor have they even had their very first demonstration of an EHR. The stimulus seems to be just that, the Federal Government's decision to create a financial incentive program to physicians who invest into Electronic Health Records…and creating even a larger incentive to those that invest now. SMARTDC suggests physicians do their own research by sitting through demonstrations of several EHR's before making a choice. Today's busy physician or office administrator may attend any number of free webinar's available on the internet that may be experienced from either the office or from home. You may choose to register and attend one of SMARTDC's free webinar soon to be announced. Our webinar's are for clients only, will be lunchtime and last no more than one hour. Topics covered will include how to qualify for federal incentive monies, how to choose the EHR that's right for your medical specialty and how an EHR improves your overall business.

“Four years ago, we knew the industry was changing. Paper based manual processes were eventually going to give way to electronic patient charts. Since then, we have been developing, testing, and perfecting our EHR product with existing clients. Today's announcement of release 2.5 marks a significant milestone in our company's history” according to Kothari.

Date: 04/10/2009

SMARTDC upgraded it's telecommunications system
SMARTDC Corporation, upgraded it's telecommunications system to provide better and quality customer service to all customers. To reach SMARTDC customer care call: (855) 762-7863