SMARTDC Monthly Newsletter- A Timely Summary of Your IT News

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.

Medicare Attestation Period for Meaningful Use Begins April 18

On Friday, CMS said that health care providers seeking Medicare incentive payments for the meaningful use of electronic health records can attest to meeting criteria starting April 18, Healthcare IT News reports. Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHRs can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.

Health care providers seeking incentive payments must use CMS' online Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs Registration and Attestation System (Merrill, Healthcare IT News , 3/28). The agency has released a selection of screenshots of the system to help health care providers understand what the attestation process involves.

To qualify for Medicare incentive payments, physicians and eligible professionals must report on:

• 15 core measures
• Five of 10 menu measures; and
• Six clinical quality measures ( Conn , Modern Healthcare , 3/28)

Meanwhile, eligible hospitals and critical access facilities must report on:

• 14 core measures
• Five of 10 menu measures; and
• 15 clinical quality measures.

Health care providers must attest to meeting meaningful use criteria for 90 consecutive days. The last day for health care providers to start their 90-day reporting period for 2011 is:

• July 3 for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals; and
• Oct. 1 for eligible professionals ( Health Data Management , 3/25)

CMS has paid out approximately $37.6 million in meaningful use incentive payments so far, according to a Twitter post on March 25. More than 25,000 health care providers have registered for the incentive program (Mosquera, Government Health IT , 3/25).

Meaningful Use Program Seen as Driver of Tablet Demand in Health Care

From www.iHealthbeat.org

The federal government's meaningful use program might be helping to drive physician demand for the Apple iPad and other tablet devices, CNBC reports. Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health records can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.

According to analysts at Chilmark Research, 22% of U.S. physicians were using iPads at the end of last year. In addition, four out of five physicians surveyed by Aptilon , a health care marketing company, said they planned to purchase an iPad this year. Although the iPad's popularity among physicians caught the health IT industry by surprise, it aligns well with broader initiatives to embrace EHRs, CNBC reports. John Halamka, CIO at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston , said the iPad plays into a "perfect storm" for health IT. He said, "You have alignment of funding; a cultural change where doctors want to use devices to improve quality; you also have new devices and new software that is much easier to use."

According to CNBC, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has set an April 19 release date for its new PlayBook tablet, and it could serve as a challenger to Apple's iPad 2, which launched recently. The PlayBook uses a new operating system based on software made by medical device support firm QNX. The device also will include additional security features, which could increase its popularity among hospital IT officials, according to MobiHealthNews editor Brian Dolan.

Bill Would Extend EHR Incentive Pay to Behavioral Health Care

From www.iHealthbeat.org

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has introduced a bill ( S 539 ) that would make health IT incentive payments available to mental health care, behavioral health care and substance misuse treatment professionals and facilities, Health Imaging reports. The Behavioral Health Information Technology Act of 2011 would expand eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid incentive funding. Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health records can qualify for incentive payments through Medicaid and Medicare.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Extend Medicaid and Medicare meaningful use incentive payment eligibility to licensed psychologists and clinical social workers;
• Expand Medicaid incentive funding eligibility to community mental health centers, mental health treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals and clinics that offer substance misuse services;
• Extend Medicare incentive payment eligibility to inpatient psychiatric hospitals; and
• Clarify the eligibility of certain behavioral health care providers for technical assistance from regional extension centers ( Health Imaging , 3/16).

Whitehouse said the bill would give mental health professional's access to patients' most recent medical histories, thereby improving the accuracy of diagnoses and cutting down on medication errors ( Whitehouse release , 3/15).The legislation has been sent to the Senate Finance Committee ( Health Imaging , 3/16).

Lower cost draws healthcare to videoconferencing market

From www.iHealthbeat.org

LONDON – Reduced prices and improved quality are boosting the adoption of telemedicine videoconferencing systems, according to a new Frost & Sullivan report titled Visual Collaboration Applications in Healthcare . The practice of telemedicine has been undergoing significant evolution paralleled by technological advancements in the world of videoconferencing, Frost & Sullivan researcher's note. These changes open new opportunities for videoconferencing service providers as they continue to address a market that remains highly under-penetrated.

Healthcare practitioners are increasingly adopting interactive video or videoconferencing applications for providing enhanced access to healthcare as well as improving the quality of such services at lower prices across the globe, according to the report. "The costs of telemedicine videoconferencing systems and transmission service are not a major barrier to their deployments any more," says Iwona Petruczynik, Frost & Sullivan research analyst. "In the last two years, there has been a significant reduction in prices of equipment and a substantial improvement in endpoint functionality, especially video quality."

Vendors of visual collaboration technology can make an entry in the healthcare market by offering "off-the-shelf" videoconferencing products. These are cost effective and easier to use options for healthcare professionals, as they are not purchasing dedicated carts, but standard videoconferencing systems. "This will represent a 'foot in the door' for visual collaboration manufacturers because they are not only familiarizing healthcare professionals with videoconferencing, but also introducing their dedicated pieces of equipment," says Petruczynik. "Visual collaboration vendors need to add value to certain vertical markets to avoid commoditization in the increasingly competitive marketplace."

The most significant benefit of telemedicine is its ability to extend the geographic reach of medical care and provide access to medical specialists in remote and rural areas, according to the report. Telemedicine technology also offers training and educational benefits to medical professionals at reduced costs. However, restrictive reimbursements and legislative policies are limiting the reach of existing telemedicine programs. "There are also other obstacles to use of telemedicine technologies like resistance from traditional healthcare facilities that are unfamiliar with new technologies," says Petruczynik. "In addition, many potential adopters of telemedicine are witnessing objections from their medical staff that fears that they will be replaced by new and more efficient practices brought by telemedicine programs.”

The report shows that, on the technology side, there are concerns related to the integration of telemedicine with Electronic Health Records and resolving system interoperability issues. Moreover, medical staff will have to be trained to coordinate remote care, as well as cope with legal liability, accreditation and licensing issues. "Once these obstacles are overcome, there exists sizeable potential for growth," says Petruczynik. "Enabling a significant level of customization in the solutions for healthcare institutions will determine the success of videoconferencing in the telemedicine environment in future."