MedInformatix RIS/EHR Solutions Enable Radiologists to Achieve Stage 1 Meaningful Use Qualification, Earn Incentives

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MedInformatix, Inc. announced today that it is working to enable radiology practices using its Radiology Information System (RIS) with Electronic Health Records (EHR) to achieve Stage 1 meaningful use goals and objectives under The Federal Government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for Health Information Technology.

MedInformatix is among the industry's first to achieve certification under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)' Office of National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT's Stage 1 Meaningful Use under ARRA, and was the only certified RIS/EHR vendor participating at last month's RSNA annual meeting in Chicago.

Participating radiology practices over the next five years can receive incentive payments of as much as $44,000 per provider when their facilities implement certified technology by 2012. Ninety percent of radiologists are categorized as non-hospital based, and therefore eligible for ARRA stimulus funds. But time is money, and is of the essence. Those that wait to implement certified technology until 2013 and 2014 receive lower incentives while those that fail to comply with meaningful use provisions by 2015 face financial penalties of up to 5% in the form of CMS reimbursement reductions.

Apart from financial incentives, radiologists achieving Stage 1 meaningful use goals and objectives improve safety while lowering overall IT costs.

"We consider Stage 1 a top priority, and are committed to allocate the required time and energy not only to achieve the financial benefits, but because we believe some of these measures can in fact improve overall operations and yield better patient outcomes," said Alberto Goldszal, Chief Information Officer of University Radiology Group, East Brunswick, N.J.

"The meaningful use Stage 1 provision focuses largely on electronic data capture, such as the capability facilitated by MedInformatix'  RIS/EHR.  . A modification to Stage 1 requirements that went into effect after the provision's original comment period simplifies logistics by allowing first year reporting to be accomplished through attestation. This significantly eases the potential impact on a practice's daily operations," Goldszal said.

"Our RIS provider, MedInformatix, is able to seamlessly and quickly implement a solution to achieve Stage 1. Not all vendors offer a single package. Modular systems from multiple vendors require more set up and integration, which translates to more time and expense," Goldszal said. "MedInformatix is working with our team to best incorporate Stage 1 measures into our practice's workflow. The potential financial, operational, safety and outcome benefits, combined with the ability to capture multiple data points for each patient, far outweigh the related grunt work involved in collecting and analyzing data."

Stages 2 and 3 of meaningful use will address additional information exchange capabilities, including overall quality, safety and efficiency toward an improvement in the U.S. population's overall health.

"Ideally, all radiology practices should have registered for meaningful use by Jan. 3, 2011, but the sooner they register and implement RIS/EHR the faster they'll achieve Stage 1 objectives and experience the benefits," said Michele Jones, MedInformatix' Chief Marketing Officer. "We're pleased with the large number of our RIS/EHR users choosing to become early adopters and are busy scheduling times with additional practices wanting to take full advantage of the financial benefits while helping their patients."

All forthcoming versions of MedInformatix' RIS/EHR software will include the required features and capabilities for meaningful use certification.  

About MedInformatix:

MedInformatix, Inc. (www.medinformatix.com) is a leading national provider of fully integrated Radiology Information Systems, Electronic Health Records, and Enterprise Practice Management and Billing Software.  The MedInformatix products have been built around 25 years of workflow expertise.  MedInformatix suites of products are designed on a single database using Microsoft SQL. MedInformatix has a long history of successful implementations, such as a single physician who went live in 1994, a 13-location cardiology practice, the busiest radiology practice in Manhattan, or any practice in one of the 15 other specialties served. See why so many practices from various specialties choose MedInformatix.  With 13 Microsoft nominations in 8 years, MedInformatix can turn the dream of a paperless, integrated practice into a reality.

SOURCE MedInformatix, Inc.