Mitochon Systems announces new bundled FREE functionality to enable and accelerate the formation and efficient operation of Accountable Care Organizations& Integrated Health Care Delivery in multi Provider Systems as well as supporting independent Physicians in digital healthcare delivery.  Mitochon’s FREE bundled service positions Physicians and Health Care Systems for ACO’s and underwrites increased profitability within the practice.

It is mandated that healthcare is heading toward Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) and Integrated Delivery Systems (IDS) which is a model that seeks to reduce healthcare costs, improve the quality of care, improve clinical outcomes while positively impacting the appropriateness and efficiency of the healthcare provided.

It will be difficult for other EHR’s to match Mitochon’s FREE bundled offerings that cover the whole practice:

FREE EHR

Mitochon is the first FREE ONC-ATCB Certified, web-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) for Physicians. The FREE EHR platform combines Scheduling, Charting, ePrescribing, Labs, Meaningful Use user reports and enables the collaboration of care required within an ACO structure. It is the backbone of integrated care delivery and it’s FREE!  Always allowing the physician to keep 100% of any incentive payments

FREE Practice Management Solution (PM)

Today Mitochon announces Q2 availability of our NEW FREE Practice Management software (PM).  This premium service is web based and easy to use for any multiple provider office or solo practitioner, making day-to-day clinical services smarter not harder. This new service will improve efficiency allowing for less time spent on billing and increase payments collected as well as improve practice cash flow, enabling Physician’s to focus on patients and clinical outcomes as well as manage their practice and improve their profitability.

FREE Mobile App

With this FREE new Mitochon Mobile service, Physicians can securely access their FREE EHR and patient charts from anywhere, anytime, even when they lose their wireless connection.  Charting, Scheduling, Messaging and ePrescribe no problem, just go to the Apple Apps Store and download the Mitochon App onto your iPhone, ,iPad or iTouch (Android coming Q2 2012) Mitochon’s new FREE Mobile app boasts military levels of encryption and security as well as being able to remotely wipe information from specific devices, a first in the FREE mobile medical world.

FREE ePrescribe (eRX)

This important tool enables providers to share one single medication list with other providers who are attending to the same patient as well as connecting to all available pharmacies nationally.     With automatic formulary checking, immediate authorization or denial capabilities, FREE instructional information for patients and a “favorites” tool for listing commonly prescribed meds; Mitochons FREE ePrescribe makes prescriptions simpler and safer than ever. This means you could have a lower rate of scrip errors and a higher safety standard!

FREE Patient Health Record (PHR)

Patients enter their own health data information into a Personal Health Record which is synchronized with their Mitochon Electronic Health Record.  Mitochon’s PHR (Available Q2 2012) is a patient’s summary of their medical records and is accessed online.  The information can include medications, demographic information, personal history, labs and information from medical devices in-home or from other wireless environments. You can even use your Smartphone to enter and access information.

FREE Referral Network

This open service assists Physicians and healthcare professionals to connect, collaborate and coordinate care by enabling the exchange of clinical data with other providers and healthcare organizations. Physicians can instantly access  and retrieve clinical data to enable safer, timely, efficient, effective, and improved patient-centered care. Patients can also benefit knowing their medical information can be delivered faster and in a secured manner to the providers on their case.

FREE Training and Support

Mitochon’s unlimited FREE Training and FREE ongoing support enable subscribers to sign-up for an account, have their practice up and running in minutes and start qualifying for Meaningful Use payments. Mitochon’s Subscribers have been impressed by how quickly they have received there incentives using Mitochon’s Meaningful Use guides and reports.

Mitochon’s FREE services enables Independent physicians, Accountable Care Organizations & Integrated Delivery Systems to enter the digital healthcare world effortlessly, bend the healthcare cost curve and importantly improve outcomes without cost. Mitochon Systems FREE bundled offering will allow organizations to easily navigate the health IT requirement and become sustainable ACOs with minimal capital investment. Stop by Mitochon’s booth #625 at HIMSS this week in Las Vegas and learn more about all the new FREE functionality of services. . More information about Mitochon Systems is available via its corporate website at www.mitochonsystems.com or by calling 1.877.817.0902.

CareCloud Charts comes fully loaded with everything required for doctors to take their offices completely paperless, including: medical charting, lab and diagnostic ordering/receiving, ePrescribing and medication management, clinical encounter documentation, patient education, medical document management and specialty-specific templates. Physicians are also able to demonstrate Meaningful Use, allowing eligible providers to receive the $44,000 Medicare or $63,750 Medicaid EHR incentive funding and avoid penalties.

Revolutionary EHR software delivers comprehensive and integrated clinical, financial and administrative management for physician practices

Miami, Florida – January 12, 2012 – Today, cloud-based healthcare solution provider CareCloud announced its official entrance into the electronic health record (EHR) market. CareCloud Charts’ breakthrough user interface is a revolutionary approach to maintaining and sharing patient medical information across the continuum of care while accelerating, rather than hindering, clinical workflow.

CareCloud Charts has already been awarded ambulatory certification (ONC-ATCB 2011/2012) as a Complete EHR by Drummond Group, an Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB). Charts has also been certified by SureScripts, making it a fully-functional tool for ePrescribing on SureScripts’ nationwide network.

With the launch of the CareCloud Charts EHR, the company will further accelerate the rapid adoption of its web-based software and services, which already help thousands of physicians today streamline and consolidate the clinical, financial and administrative aspects of their business.

“Our primary mission has always been to simplify and streamline the entire healthcare experience. Rather than rushing to the market with an incomplete or ill-conceived electronic health record product, we decided to first invest in building a strong foundation that supports the entire revenue cycle. We then developed the clinical apps on top of that foundation,” said Albert Santalo, President and CEO of CareCloud. “Now, with the public availability of CareCloud Charts, physicians can actually look forward to using their EHR.”

“We’re obsessed with delivering an incredible software experience; that’s not something many other vendors can say,” Santalo continued. “Almost no other company has built a unified EHR and practice management solution from the ground up. The level of seamlessness and elegance we are achieving cannot be created through a merger of two companies and their respective product lines. By offering Charts as part of a comprehensive suite, we’re helping the entire staff pull together in one direction through one system, without needless steps in the process.”

CareCloud Charts comes fully loaded with everything required for doctors to take their offices completely paperless, including: medical charting, lab and diagnostic ordering/receiving, ePrescribing and medication management, clinical encounter documentation, patient education, medical document management and specialty-specific templates. Physicians are also able to demonstrate Meaningful Use, allowing eligible providers to receive the $44,000 Medicare or $63,750 Medicaid EHR incentive funding and avoid penalties.

Benefits of using CareCloud Charts:

•       Pure Cloud: CareCloud’s user-friendly platform delivers small to large physician practices secure 24/7/365 access to their entire business through any modern web browser, natively on a Mac or PC. CareCloud updates and improves its software regularly, but because it delivers Charts through the cloud in a single instance, all clients use the latest version and do not have to disrupt their operations to upgrade.

•       Fully Integrated: Physicians have enough challenges during their EHR vendor selection process to have to worry about integrating multiple systems just to get a simple claim out the door. CareCloud is a one-stop-shop for physicians looking to streamline their practice management and electronic records systems with minimal investment or disruption to the practice.

•       Unparalleled Usability: Charts’ design was guided by an intimate understanding of the patient encounter. CareCloud’s designers and developers spent countless hours working with physicians while they provided patient care within their practices, then focused on delivering a superior user experience that drives improved patient outcomes and reduced operating costs.

•       Safe & Secure: The Department of Health and Human Services concluded in a study that 63% of HIPAA security breaches were due to physical theft or loss of data. Web-based EHRs eliminate the most common security risks, since there are no physical files to be compromised. Physicians also enjoy advanced security features such as redundancy, constant backups, granular permissions and audit trails.

•       Constant evolution: Healthcare reform has spawned government mandates, new payment models and shifting patient expectations, all of which are taxing the existing technology infrastructure to its limit. Physicians are facing an evolving healthcare industry that demands their practice be adaptive and connected. Unlike legacy systems, CareCloud’s platform is designed to embrace change and evolve with the industry.

•       Built for a real-time world: Patients are surrounded by a myriad of sensors and smart devices, which monitor, measure and track all aspects of the human body. Today, very little, if any, of this valuable data is captured and aggregated into a single patient health record. CareCloud’s foundation utilizes an advanced cloud architecture, which can seamlessly capture unstructured health data. The company ultimately envisions developing this capability to provide a real-time portrait of each patient’s wellness.

“We have always strongly believed that a modern cloud-based platform is what will save the healthcare industry from arcane paper-based processes,” said CareCloud CEO Albert Santalo. “Unfortunately, with the median up-front EHR capital investment hovering around $30,000 per full-time physician, there’s no question that the market has failed to provide physicians with a sophisticated, cost-effective option. The fact that physicians have to even consider financing for an EHR system is just crazy – we’re here to change all that.”

CareCloud, which announced $20.1 million in Series A funding in September, provides medical practices with a powerful, secure cloud-based platform for practice management, electronic health records and revenue cycle management. The company’s solutions automate everything a successful, modern medical practice needs, like appointment scheduling, patient care, billing and accounts receivable management. Delivered in the cloud, data is more secure, less expensive and accessible anytime, anywhere and on any device (desktop, laptop, or tablet).

CareCloud Charts is available now. For more information, visit CareCloud.com.

About CareCloud

CareCloud’s mission is to revolutionize the healthcare experience through on-demand software and services. Leading the charge to bring cloud computing to the healthcare industry, CareCloud delivers an integrated suite to maximize physician practice performance that includes:

•       Charts — electronic health records software that seamlessly integrates into practice workflow
•       Central — a complete medical practice management system from scheduling to billing
•       Concierge — a comprehensive revenue cycle management solution for health care providers
•       Community — a secure patient and provider portal to increase communication and collaboration

CareCloud currently services more than 1,000 physicians and other healthcare providers throughout the United States and was named a winner of IBM’s SmartCamp Silicon Valley 2010 for its innovative new technology. For more information, visit CareCloud online at www.carecloud.com.

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Merge Healthcare (NASDAQ: MRGE), a leading provider of enterprise imaging and interoperability solutions, today announced the addition of eleven radiology practices that have selected Merge RIS v7.0 to achieve Meaningful Use.

“Meaningful Use is gaining significant momentum in the radiology community,” said Jeff Surges, CEO of Merge Healthcare. “Radiologists are witnessing how seamlessly solutions like Merge RIS can be integrated into their practice, without disrupting their workflow, while administrators and executives are experiencing how Merge RIS is building the foundation for future growth. All involved are seeing how Merge RIS v7.0 can lead to an increase in revenue and help them avoid future penalties.”

With Merge RIS v7.0, radiologists can now utilize a completely native radiology solution for radiology-specific workflow to capture and report on the metrics required to demonstrate Meaningful Use of electronic health records, without disrupting the traditional radiology workflow. With Merge RIS v7.0, radiologists can qualify to receive up to $44,000 in stimulus incentives, per eligible provider.

“We selected Merge because they were the only vendor able to provide an enterprise-wide solution versus a piecemeal approach,” said Melissa Ray, Practice Administrator at Radiology Consultants of Lynchburg. “In addition to Merge RIS v7.0, we will utilize Merge PACS, Merge Financials, Merge Dashboards and Merge iConnect Access. And now, not only will we be able to take advantage of the stimulus incentives available for achieving Meaningful Use, but more importantly, we’ll be able to significantly improve productivity and workflow efficiencies.”

“With Merge RIS, the information just flows better, from the minute the patient calls to schedule an appointment all the way through billing,” said Tony Musilli, Chief Operations Officer at Booth Radiology in West Deptford, New Jersey. “Merge RIS 7.0 is very intuitive and has a much tighter integration than systems we’ve used in the past. The Merge suite is going to take our practice to the next level of efficiency, so for us, the choice to use Merge for Meaningful Use was obvious.”

“One of the reasons we selected Merge RIS v7.0 was because it has complete certification versus modular certification,” said Christopher Bryant, Executive Director, Radiology Associates of West Pasco “If you utilize a modular system, you as the provider, the onus is on you to find another product or combination of products that meet the remaining criteria before you can claim to be using a certified EHR and qualify for MU funds. Because Merge’s solution received complete certification, we don’t have to worry about that at all.”

“We are a front-to-back Merge client,” said Laverna Hubbard, Administrator at North State Radiology in Northern California. “One of the main reasons we chose Merge RIS, PACS and Financials is because the Merge team listens. They understand our business and are committed to delivering exceptional customer service and support.”

Merge RIS v7.0 functionality includes ePrescribing, enhanced reporting that enables physicians to automatically trend clinical data and report on Meaningful Use measures, new clinical decision support, the clinical exchange of health information through industry standard formats, and a patient portal that empowers patients to access their records at their convenience. This new functionality was built natively within the intuitive, web-based Merge RIS so that any radiology practice can achieve Meaningful Use attestation in a manner that works for their specialty.

About Merge Healthcare

Merge Healthcare is a leading provider of enterprise imaging and interoperability solutions, with a client base consisting of more than 1,500 hospitals and 6,000 clinics across the country. Merge solutions facilitate the sharing of images to create a more effective and efficient electronic healthcare experience for patients and physicians. Merge provides enterprise imaging solutions for radiology, cardiology, orthopaedics and eye care; a suite of products for clinical trials; software for financial and pre-surgical management, and applications that fuel the largest modality vendors in the world. Merge’s products have been used by healthcare providers, vendors and researchers worldwide to improve patient care for more than 20 years. Additional information can be found at www.merge.com.

Unique Productivity-Focused Meaningful Use Ideal for Busy Orthopaedists

MONTVALE, NJ – September 21, 2011 – SRS, the leader in productivity-enhancing EHR technology and services for high-performance physicians, today announced that the Rothman Institute, a preeminent provider of orthopaedic care, has selected the SRS certified EHR for its 100 providers across 14 office locations throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“We implemented the SRS workflow engine in 2008 and ePrescribing earlier this year, and realized a massive boost in the productivity of our growing enterprise,” says Mike West, CEO of the Rothman Institute. “As we continue to look for ways to increase our efficiency and improve patient care, the physicians and staff at Rothman Institute will be better equipped to do so through the implementation of SRS’ EHR technology. SRS has been an outstanding partner of Rothman Institute and has contributed to our continued success.”

Mr. West continued, saying, “Like all practices, declining reimbursement is a significant factor in our planning. The SRS EHR has allowed us to combat the declining reimbursement by improving our overall productivity, which in turn, supports a healthier bottom line.”

According to Todd Albert, M.D., President of the Rothman Institute, “The SRS EHR will play an integral role in Rothman Institute’s broad initiative to enhance the quality of patient care at a lower cost and without disruption to our daily workflows and routines.”

“As SRS advances its data and interoperability platform, practices like Rothman Institute are leveraging the foundation they have built with our EHR technology and deriving added value,” says Evan Steele, CEO of SRSsoft. “Moving forward with our certified software not only ensures the ability to demonstrate meaningful use in a productive manner, but also positions the group well to participate in future government programs.”

About SRS
SRS is the leading provider of productivity-enhancing EHR technology and services for high-performance specialty physicians—with a successful adoption rate unparalleled in the industry. Offered via the Unified Desktop™, the robust EHR, SRS CareTracker PM, and SRS PACS increase speed and efficiency, free physicians’ time, boost revenue, slash overhead, and enhance patient care and satisfaction. For more information on SRS, visit www.srssoft.com, e-mail info@srssoft.com, fax 201.802.1301, or call 800.288.8369.

About Rothman Institute
The Rothman Institute is the region’s premier provider of orthopaedic care, delivering world-class expertise in virtually every orthopaedic specialty including joints, spine, hand, shoulder and elbow, foot and ankle, sports medicine, physical medicine, rehabilitation, and rheumatology. The Rothman Institute also offers on-site X-ray and MRI services, physical therapy, orthotics, and a health and wellness program. Additional information is available online at www.rothmaninstitute.com.

Today, DrFirst, Inc. announced an innovative product that fulfills the company’s commitment to deliver a simple, secure, and affordable way to send controlled substance prescriptions electronically with the launch of EPCS Gold™ version 2.0 (Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances).

Rockville, MD (PRWEB) July 27, 2011

Today, DrFirst, Inc. announced an innovative product that fulfills the company’s commitment to deliver a simple, secure, and affordable way to send controlled substance prescriptions electronically with the launch of EPCS Gold™ version 2.0 (Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances). EPCS Gold™ is fully certified to meet the prescription processing requirements set by Surescripts, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requirements enforced through the Interim Final Rule (IFR), and the Identity Proofing requirements set by NIST, and is now available to all eligible providers nationwide.

In 2009, physicians in Berkshire County, MA began utilizing DrFirst’s EPCS 1.0 in a pilot program funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under the auspices of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and a waiver from the DEA. Through this pilot program, DrFirst was the first and only e-prescribing company to publically demonstrate the nation’s first end-to-end EPCS system. DrFirst was able to apply both the learnings from this pilot and the requirements outlined in the DEA’s Interim Final Rule (IRF) to substantially enhance EPCS Gold™ for the 2.0 version of the product.

Prescribers enrolling for EPCS Gold™ will be able to send controlled substance prescriptions electronically after a simple credentialing and identity-proofing process with DrFirst. After providers are certified, they can begin e-prescribing Schedule II-V drugs based on their individual state laws and the ability of the receiving pharmacy to meet the DEA’s requirements to process these prescriptions. To avoid any confusion and eliminate guesswork by providers, EPCS Gold™ automatically detects which substances can be sent electronically.

“As the originators of controlled substance e-prescribing for physicians, we are excited to be the first to market with a true nationwide offering. Version 2.0 of EPCS Gold™ reflects DrFirst’s expertise in security through a design that provides a straightforward and inexpensive solution for both providers and health IT vendors,” said President of DrFirst, G. Cameron Deemer. “We’re encouraging doctors to begin moving forward on the credentialing process and to begin contacting their local pharmacies to let them know they’re ready to send controlled substances electronically.”

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendors are invited to partner with DrFirst to offer this groundbreaking product to their clients and avoid the developmental, certification and auditing costs required to conform to the DEA’s guidelines.

DrFirst will be offering the first 500 qualified providers free registration (i.e., identity proofing, token distribution, logical access control) and a one-year subscription to EPCS Gold™ 2.0 service in celebration of this historic milestone in medical history.

What Are Controlled Substances?
Controlled substances are drugs or other substances that are regulated under federal law depending on medical use, potential for abuse, and addictiveness.

•     Schedule I: High abuse potential, no medical use, considered unsafe
•     Schedule II: High abuse potential, approved for medical use, has severe dependence risk
•     Schedule III: Lower abuse potential, approved for medical use, has moderate or low dependence risk
•     Schedule IV: Relatively low potential, approved for medical use, limited dependence risk
•     Schedule V: Drugs that are cough medicines with codeine

The five “schedules” of drugs are not the same as the five “classes” of drugs, which organizes drugs according to their main properties. The five classes of controlled substance drugs are narcotics, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and anabolic steroids.
For further information about EPCS Gold™ 2.0, contact DrFirst at (866) 263-6511

About DrFirst

Founded in 2000, DrFirst is the nation’s leading e-prescribing provider to physician practices, major health plans, health systems, hospitals, and EHR vendors. Through its Open Borders Program, DrFirst solutions are widely integrated with over 170 HIT systems. A Surescripts Gold Certified solution provider for four consecutive years with its award-winning Rcopia electronic prescription management system, DrFirst utilizes the Surescripts network for pharmacy connectivity, health plan information, and patient medication history. Certain DrFirst solutions can qualify users for government incentive programs such as MIPPA, PQRI/PQRS, and ARRA HITECH/Meaningful Use of EHR. For more information, visit http://www.drfirst.com. Keep up to date on DrFirst news at http://blog.drfirst.com/ or follow us on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/drfirst.

Indigo’s eSign capabilities allow physicians to electronically sign prescriptions utilizing finger biometrics or proximity cards. As a secondary form of authentication, a four digit PIN (personal identification number) can be used, similar to the process used for accessing a bank account from an ATM. Indigo, unlike other solution providers who use ‘passwords’ as a secondary form of authentication, uses a PIN which is easier to remember and implement. Indigo’s exclusive solution design stores, manages, and changes passwords automatically.

“Indigo Identityware’s advanced session management capabilities allow physicians to perform ‘two factor authentication’ using the touch of a finger or the tap of a card in combination with a PIN as a ‘secondary’ factor, fulfilling the requirements set forth by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for electronic prescription of controlled substances.” said Tom Rheineck, CEO and President of Indigo Identityware.

“As a result of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which was implemented to ensure the health, safety and well-being of consumers, medical providers are incentivized to implement electronic health record (EHR) systems that include electronic prescribing. Physicians are required to write 40% of their overall prescriptions electronically in order to qualify for meaningful use rewards. Indigo’s solution allows physicians a secure and simple way to meet the HITECH specifications,” said Mr. Rheineck.

SRS ePrescribing Viewed as Stepping Stone towards Complete SRS EHR

MONTVALE, NJ – March 23, 2011 – SRS, the leading provider of productivity-enhancing EHR technology and services for high-performance specialty practices, today announced that Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center has selected SRS ePrescribing for its 17-provider orthopaedic practice. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, Orthopaedics East works in conjunction with Pitt County Memorial Hospital and provides quality care to eastern North Carolina.

“With SRS ePrescribing, our physicians will not only qualify for the Medicare bonus and avoid the future penalties, but will also take the first step towards the digital world,” says Janis Vincent, Practice Administrator, Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center. “Receiving the benefits of ePrescribing, our physicians will be well-positioned to adopt the complete SRS EHR so we can pursue the government’s EHR incentives and experience the overall productivity advantages unique to SRS.”

“Because it is based on a solid understanding of practice workflow, SRS ePrescribing is the most efficient ePrescribing product in the EHR industry,” says Evan Steele, CEO of SRSsoft. “It is seamlessly integrated into the SRS core EHR, and even as a stand-alone product incorporates the prescriptions into the patient’s chart note. It is a great way for medical practices to transition from paper to a digital environment.”

“The appeal of the SRS EHR is the user interface for physicians and staff—it is intuitive, easy to use, and customizable to suit each provider’s personal preferences,” says Edward C. Brown III, M.D., Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center. “The SRS EHR also has the flexibility to accommodate both those who like to dictate and those who prefer templating. Using SRS ePrescribing to start our technology push will certainly ease us into incorporating the complete EHR into our practice.”

About SRS
SRS is the leading provider of productivity-enhancing EHR technology and services for high-performance specialty practices—with a successful adoption rate unparalleled in the industry. Offered via the Unified Desktop™, the robust EHR, SRS CareTracker PM, and SRS PACS increase speed, free physicians’ time, boost revenue, and heighten patient care and satisfaction. For more information on SRS, visit www.srssoft.com, e-mail info@srssoft.com, fax 201.802.1301, or call 800.288.8369.

About Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center
Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center is a full-service orthopaedic care practice founded in Greenville, North Carolina, in 1999. Working in conjunction with staff and physicians at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, the doctors of Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center treat a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, in addition to providing physical therapy and MRI services on site. For more information, visit www.orthoeast.com.

Community Quality Reporting and Measures Delivered

To Physicians at the Point-of-Care

Fort Worth, TX, Feb. 22, 2011 – Sandlot, LLC, a healthcare solutions company founded by practicing physicians, will debut SandlotQRM®, a quality reporting and measures application at HIMSS11, the prestigious annual conference for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in Orlando, Fla. (Feb. 20 – 24, 2011). SandlotQRM helps physicians integrate care delivery and “move the needle” on quality as they transform their clinical practice in the new era of accountable care.

With SandlotQRM, physicians will have the tools they need to improve quality outcomes before, during, and after the patient’s visit. Physicians and other clinicians can:

• Prospectively track patients falling outside care guidelines
• Deliver care recommendations based on the patient’s electronic, longitudinal community health record at the point of care
• Retrospectively monitor performance through the lens of HEDIS, PQRI, EHR Meaningful Use, and other measures.

SandlotQRM is integrated with SandlotConnect®, a health information exchange (HIE) solution developed and supported by Sandlot, LLC. SandlotConnect is a unique point of care solution – a blending of HIE technology with quality management tools – enabling healthcare providers to integrate care delivery and achieve measurable improvement in quality outcomes. SandlotQRM can integrate with any source of patient clinical information, including: HIEs, claims systems, or electronic medical records.

Until now, physicians and healthcare organizations relied on fragmented retrospective reviews of patient data to manage care. SandlotQRM will help ensure that doctors exceed their quality objectives by presenting patient-measures that are important to their specialty. The web tool enables physicians to determine what patients are not meeting the measures of quality care and allows doctors to take immediate action, such as: scheduling a diagnostic test, a procedure, e-prescribing or ordering a laboratory test. This will enhance the physician’s ability to treat patients more successfully at the point-of-care and increase patient satisfaction rates.

Sandlot’s quality module will also serve as a vital benchmarking tool for physicians. Doctors can determine how successful they are in meeting their quality objectives compared to national targets and other physicians utilizing Sandlot’s HIE application, SandlotConnect. This will be beneficial for doctors in helping them develop alternative protocols to provide better overall treatment plans and cost effective care for their patients. The current Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) incentive program in place will create increased demand for SandlotQRM.  Payments are rewarded to those physicians who satisfactorily report their specified measures during a reporting period.

The emerging era of accountable care induces hospitals and health systems to reduce costs and improve long-term financial objectives by participating in an accountable care organization (ACO). Based on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), an ACO is described as collaborations that include groups of healthcare providers, hospitals, and others. SandlotQRM is the cornerstone of an ACO because of the prospective, point-of-care, and retrospective quality measurement reporting that will support a profitable and sustainable patient care organization.

From a health plan perspective, Sandlot’s quality module will help insurers meet their business objectives. Insurers can meet their Med-Loss Ratio (MLR) requirements by utilizing its sophisticated data analysis and population reporting capabilities so they can be defined as a medical cost. To assist health plans in reaching CMS Five-Star status, SandlotQRM also provides analytical data on HEDIS measures. NCQA publishes the top 20 private health plans, with similar lists for the top 10 Medicaid and Medicare plans each year. HEDIS scores are a significant factor in ranking each plan.

SandlotQRM, will be available for limited live demonstrations February 20-24^th at HIMSS11. iPhone and iPad applications will be available for clinical use once SandlotQRM is generally available March, 2011.

About Sandlot LLC

Based in Fort Worth, TX, Sandlot, LLC is an innovative healthcare solutions company founded by practicing physicians who pursue ways to make better clinical decisions at the point-of-care and collectively share clinical information. Sandlot focuses on advancing healthcare by using technology, process and people working together. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of North Texas Specialty Physicians (NTSP). The company’s innovative HIE, SandlotConnect® launched in 2008, is based on Lawson Technology and is currently interoperable with many of the market’s leading EHR systems, including Allscripts, NextGen, and eClinicalWorks.   For more information, visit www.sandlotsolutions.com.

Atlanta, February 18, 2011 – XLEMR, a developer of custom electronic health records (EHR) that focuses on practices that seek a simple, mobile, and efficient solution, announced today that its EHR software has achieved certification as a Complete Ambulatory EHR under the Office of the National Coordinator’s (ONC) certification program.

Testing was performed by InfoGard Laboratories, an ONC-designated Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) for EHR systems, on January 26^th and 27^th, 2011.  During the test, XLEMR demonstrated their software meets the requirements for meaningful use.  Eligible providers can now use XLEMR to qualify for HITECH stimulus funds, which can result in up to $44,000 per provider under Medicare or $64,000 under Medicaid.

“XLEMR offers a unique solution to medical providers that want a simple, custom solution,” says Tripp Weeks, President of XLEMR.  “Most other EMR systems are rigid and complex, but XLEMR is built on Microsoft Office, which allows us to create simple, easy solutions that we can tailor to our clients’ needs.”

Providers using XLEMR’s certified product will have the benefit of the familiar interface in addition to all the features required by meaningful use.  For example, providers can take advantage of XLEMR’s interface to Microsoft Health Vault, which allows information sharing between the health record, the patient, and any other care givers authorized by the patient.

E-prescribing is another important feature that allows providers to check drug interactions, medicinal allergies, and formulary compliance.  Sending prescriptions electronically is more efficient than script pads or faxes; it also helps reduce fraud.  XLEMR’s unique approach to e-prescribing allows providers to enjoy all the benefits without additional monthly fees.

“One of the challenges for any vendor is how to incorporate the meaningful use functionality into a system without making it slow or difficult to navigate.  Complexity is one of the things medical professionals fear most in an EHR system.  Many providers hesitate to implement EHR, because they fear the software will be confusing and negatively impact productivity.  XLEMR’s architecture allows us to include all of the meaningful use requirements, while still maintaining our trademark simple interface,” Tripp elaborates.

Providers that want to participate in the stimulus program must first meet eligibility requirements under the Medicare or Medicaid program.  Next, providers must purchase an EHR system certified by an ONC-ATCB.  Finally, providers must use their software according to the measures outlined in the meaningful use rules to qualify for the stimulus funds.

About XLEMR, LLC

XLEMR, LLC is a leading developer of simple, mobile, and efficient electronic health records.  XLEMR focuses on a custom, hand-holding approach to implementation and development that allows their clients to experience a comfortable transition to EHR.  Their core product is based on Microsoft Office which provides an interface familiar to most users.  This architecture allows providers to be mobile without needing an internet connection or wireless data plan.  XLEMR provides efficiency by incorporating existing paper forms into the EHR to minimize training requirements.  For more about XLEMR visit www.xlemr.com.

Enhancements to Care360™ EHR Provide Physicians with the Ability to Securely Share Patient Information Across Disparate Systems

MADISON, N.J. – February 22, 2011 – Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) announced the general availability of the next release of its Care360™ Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution designed to significantly enhance the interoperability of Care360 EHR by supporting the Direct Project specifications, which were established by the Direct Project under the coordination of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). These protocols will enable physicians to more effectively exchange data with hospitals, patients, payers and other healthcare providers in a secure email format.

“Through our role leading the development workgroups and pilot projects, we are the only laboratory and EHR solution provider to date to integrate the Direct Project specifications into our product, affirming our commitment to proactively advancing greater HIT adoption among physicians,” said Richard A. Mahoney, vice president of healthcare information solutions for Quest Diagnostics and president of its healthcare IT subsidiary MedPlus. “The Direct Project is one of the most significant steps forward in accelerating EHR interoperability by improving the communication among physicians, hospitals, laboratories, health plans, health information exchanges and patients.”

The Direct Project is an initiative of the ONC for Health IT to extend the benefits of health information exchange to individual physicians and small practices who have limited resources and technology assets to meet requirements for Meaningful Use of EHRs. Since the ONC announced the formation of the Direct Project last year, MedPlus has played a significant role in the development of standards through its participation in workgroups and one of the eight pilots. In the pilot, Care360 EHR is demonstrating early use of the Direct Project specifications and has incorporated those capabilities into its generally-available Care360 EHR solution to improve overall coordination of care and assist with Meaningful Use objectives.

“For my patients, especially those who see multiple physicians, the addition of the Direct Project specifications into Care360 EHR is a tremendous leap forward for exchanging clinical data securely with their other healthcare providers,” said Paulo Andre, MD, neurologist at MetroWest Medical Center, and medical director of MetroWest Accountable Health Care. “I strongly believe that when you improve communication you improve care, and ultimately empower patients with the information they need to better manage their health.”

In addition, Care360 EHR now provides Clinical Decision Support (CDS), which analyzes data from a variety of clinical data sources, providing a comprehensive view of a patient’s current medical condition. The CDS engine, embedded with more than 29,000 evidence-based clinical rules — such as gaps in care, drug safety, lab rules, Meaningful Use, HEDIS, and HCC — will leverage clinical data from pharmacy claims and lab results, and combine this information with physician-entered data to generate gaps-in-care reports for Care360 users. The CDS engine will also provide data on all 44 clinical quality measures for eligible professionals for Stage 1 Meaningful Use, and provide a path to Stage 2 of Meaningful Use.

Adoption of the Care360 EHR solution continues to grow among small to medium-size physician practices across the nation. Approximately one third of U.S. physicians—and many of the country’s leading hospitals, health plans and regional health exchanges—currently rely on healthcare information solutions developed by MedPlus to document, analyze and monitor diagnostic, prescription and clinical data to provide better patient care. Because Care360 EHR is Web-based, there is no dedicated IT server hardware or infrastructure required, which shortens implementation time and reduces the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Physicians can access secure patient information anywhere, anytime, from any fixed or mobile Internet browser.

Additional Upgrades to Care360 EHR include:

* The ability to send basic reminders and share clinical histories with patients.
* The ability to refer and interoperate with care providers on other EHR systems, including support for CCD as the content standard and support for Direct Project specifications for transport standards.
* An electronic interface to community data sources allowing the physician to receive external documents and patient charts.
* Support for Meaningful Use quality and utilization measures reporting and submission to allow eligible providers to generate, track and report necessary measures to CMS to qualify for Meaningful Use incentives.
* The ability for providers to report to state immunization registries and syndromic surveillance registries.
* Support for flexible, template-based ways to address state regulations for prescription faxes.
* The ability to access patient-specific educational resources.

Visit www.Care360.com to learn more about the Care360 suite of solutions. To download Care360 Mobile for the iPad, iPhone or iPhone, visit the Medical Applications section of the Apple Apps Store. To learn more about the Direct Project, visit www.directproject.org.

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the world’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
About MedPlus
MedPlus, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the healthcare information technology subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics. MedPlus is a leading developer and integrator of clinical connectivity and healthcare information exchange solutions designed to foster better patient care and improve business performance for health care institutions, physicians and patients. The company’s Care360 platform is a Web-based solution that provides physicians with online laboratory test ordering, ePrescribing, clinical messaging and clinical documentation. Care360 is used by more than 165,000 enrolled physicians in more than 75,000 locations. In addition, Care360 Data Exchange and ChartMaxx® solutions efficiently and securely collect, store, manage and integrate clinical information within an organization, enterprise, practice or community. Care360 Data Exchange enables clinicians to access patient data in a centralized view aggregated from multiple care sites. ChartMaxx, the company’s award-winning DMI and electronic patient record system, has been implemented in more than 140 hospitals and integrated health care delivery networks and has more than 400,000 users. For more information, visit www.MedPlus.com.
About Care360 EHR
Care360 is certified as a Complete EHR by the Certification Commission for eligible Health Information Technology (CCHIT®). More than 165,000 enrolled physicians at more than 75,000 locations across the nation rely on the Care360 suite of products to help improve patient care and increase practice efficiencies. For those physicians using Care360 Labs & Meds for online lab ordering/results and ePrescribing, the transition to Care360 EHR is simple, building upon their existing Care360 interface.