mds news from FierceHealthIT

SureScripts this week announced it would be working with the State Alliance for eHealth to research methods for improving medication management. The new program will look at ways to improve "safety, Read more...

Since launching three and a half years ago, more than 10.8 million e-prescriptions have been transmitted over Massachusetts' payer-backed e-network. During the past six months alone, says eRX Read more...

E-prescribing is all the rage in government circles, with state governors, in particular, waxing rhapsodic over its benefits. But it seems that physicians aren't as comfortable with the concept as policymakers are. A new study published in Health Affairs has found that physicians who adopt e-prescribing technology have trouble with its advanced features, and what's more, aren't even sure …

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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.

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), which is trying to encourage the adoption of healthcare information technology by physicians, last week named the 17 vendors whose ambulatory EHR products pass the commission's muster. Products that comply with 100 percent of the functionality and security criteria tested during the inspection will bear a CCHIT Certified(sm) seal that provides the first real benchmark for ambulatory EHR products, officials said. …

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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 …

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