Aprima Medical Software Achieves Pre-Market CCHIT Certified(R) 2011 Ambulatory EHR Additionally Certified for Child Health Status

DALLAS, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Aprima Medical Software, a leading developer of electronic health record (EHR), practice management (PM) and revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions for medical practices, today announced Aprima Version 2011 (Aprima 2011) has been inspected by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) and is a pre-market CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR additionally certified for Child Health EHR technology. Aprima 2011 also achieved a usability score of 5 out of 5. The Aprima 2011 product's CCHIT certification is pre-market, pending live use of the application in two practices for 45 days.

Aprima 2011 also preliminarily meets 24 of 24 requirements for Eligible Providers published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Interim Final Rule. Inspection information is available at http://www.cchit.org/products/ifrstage1/arraeligibleprovider/2123. For the purpose of qualifying products for ARRA incentives, CCHIT anticipates, but has not yet received, accreditation by HHS.

"It is no longer a promise, it is a fact," said Neil Simon, Aprima Medical Software's Chief Operating Officer. "We told our customers and prospects that we would deliver a CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR product and we have delivered on that promise. Promise made, promise kept!"

In recognition of the broad need for EHRs in the pediatric and family care practice segments of the market, the company submitted Aprima 2011 for the additional certification by CCHIT for Child Health EHR technology.

"While our clients represent more than 40 specialties nationwide, the pediatric and family care practices tend to be smaller and have historically felt priced out of the EHR market," stated Michael Nissenbaum, Aprima Medical Software's President and CEO. "We made the additional modifications for these providers, thus earning the Certification Commission's additionally certified for Child Health EHR technology label. Our customers have embraced our template-free, content-rich application, and now influential bodies like the Regional Extension Centers (RECs) can look to Aprima 2011 as the electronic health record solution of choice that is certified to address the needs of their communities from infant to aged."

"The next step for Aprima 2011 development is to complete work on additional features and functions beyond the Meaningful Use requirements," explained Simon. "These enhancements will enable Aprima 2011 to leapfrog the market." Aprima will demonstrate these features, along with all the Meaningful Use functionality, at its 2010 Aprima National User Conference in Dallas, August 6 – 8.

"These certifications are the continuation of our commitment to our clientele to consistently meet all national standards," said Nissenbaum. "We have met all available years of the Certification Commission's certifying criteria (2006, 2007, 2008, and now 2011). Our prospects and clients can be assured that this will continue in the future."

The CCHIT Certified® 2011 certification program, opening on April 7, 2010, is one of two distinct, but complementary, programs of certification offered by CCHIT, the second is the Preliminary ARRA IFR Stage 1. Health IT companies may be certified in one or both programs.

In the CCHIT Certified 2011 program, products are rigorously inspected against integrated EHR functionality, interoperability, and security criteria independently developed by the Commission's broadly representative, expert work groups, using the Commission's published testing methods. This program is intended to serve health care providers looking for maximal assurance that a product will meet their complex needs.

The Preliminary ARRA IFR Stage 1 program tests complete EHRs or EHR modules against criteria and standards published by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Interim Final Rule (IFR) on "Health Information Technology: Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology" on January 13, 2010, and effective on February 12, 2010.

This program, based on the federal standards for certified EHR technology to support the Stage 1 incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), is designed to demonstrate that a vendor's product is extremely well prepared to be certified once the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) accredited testing and certification becomes available. When that occurs, CCHIT will replace the Preliminary ARRA program with a final, ONC-accredited ARRA certification program. Aprima 2011 will apply for that certification once the accredited certifying organization's procedures are in place. CCHIT does not offer a guarantee that it will be accredited.

All testing for Preliminary ARRA IFR Stage 1 or final ARRA Stage 1 is conducted separately from the CCHIT Certified testing.

About CCHIT

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. The Commission has been certifying electronic health record technology since 2006. More information about CCHIT, CCHIT Certified® products and Preliminary ARRA certified technology is available at http://cchit.org.

CCHIT® and CCHIT Certified® are registered marks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.

About Aprima Medical Software, Inc.

Aprima Medical Software, Inc. develops innovative electronic health record, practice management and revenue cycle management solutions for medical practices. Reach Aprima at 866-960-6890, [email protected] or aprima.com.

SOURCE Aprima Medical Software