eclinicalworks news from FierceHealthIT

"The vision for meaningful use is, I think, fantastic," said Adam Gale, president of research firm KLAS Enterprises. "But beyond the vision for meaningful use is some reality," added Gale, who spoke Read more...

New York City has begun a $60 million project under which it is heavily subsidizing EMRs for 1,000 primary care physicians in an effort to improve care and collect public health data. New York is Read more...

If Texas is any indication, the EMR adoption movement has more problems in store than many people think. According to a new survey on the subject by the Texas Medical Association, one-third of Read more...

Lenexa, KS-based health delivery system Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System has struck a deal to make ambulatory EMR software available to the 5,000-odd physicians who have privileges at Read more...

In a move heralded as a first of its kind, this week New York City officials announced plans to give free EMR technology to medical practices for whom 30 percent or more of their patient encounters are Medicaid-insured or uninsured. City officials say that they're the first state or large local government they're aware of which has tried this strategy (though states are arguably moving in this direction with e-prescribing technology). The city will distribute the software to about 1,500 …

Read more...

Last, but definitely not least, there's obviously still going to be activity around EMRs, but this isn't your father's Oldsmobile. While I'm at HIMSS, I think it will be smart to hit the booths of few EMR and clinical data management vendors, particularly those that I think have a chance to make disruptive changes in the business.

For example, I'm personally intrigued by Medsphere's commercial, Open Source implementation of the accolade-winning VistA platform created for the VA. Vendors such as eClinicalWorks and Wellogic are doing something worthwhile, in that their technology can merge EMR on practice management software, a model that could help give EMRs a footing in smaller practices with a slim budget. It's also worth checking out any hosted EMR models out there. All told, anything that integrates traditional EMRs (analogues of the paper record) with important additional sources of clinical information is worth a good, long look. And if it gets this done with an eye on automating clinical pathways, or creates a new business model making implementation cheap and easy for MDs, even better. Keep your eyes peeled, and I will too.

> Illinois healthcare provider upgrades network with AT&T. Article

> Broadlane launches Interchange, first e-sourcing and contracting tool for healthcare group purchasing. Item

> Medicaid group grants PageMinder approval for sse of …

Read more...

So, what's your trade association done for you lately? Maybe you got a nice keychain when you joined, or an invitation to a soggy happy hour? Doctors in Massachusetts may be getting something a bit more valuable from their Medical Society: Serious cost savings for implementing electronic medical records in their practices. While fewer than 20 percent of the Massachusetts Medical Society's 18,500 members currently have electronic medical-record systems in place, that might be about …

Read more...