Quest Diagnostics' Care360™ EHR Module Receives Preliminary ARRA IFR Stage 1 Certification

MADISON, N.J., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that its Care360™ Electronic Health Record (EHR), Version 2010.1, has been inspected by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) and is a certified EHR Module, IFR Stage 1, achieving all 14 of the requirements applied for of the 24 requirements for Eligible Providers published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Interim Final Rule of January 2010. The Care360 suite of services is developed by MedPlus, Quest Diagnostics' health information technology subsidiary.

The preliminary program is designed to demonstrate that a vendor's product is well prepared to be certified once Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) accredited testing and certification becomes available. Interim requirements were revised with the publication of the final rules on July 13, 2010.  For the purpose of qualifying products for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) incentives, CCHIT anticipates but has not yet received accreditation by ONC/HHS. Inspection information is available at http://www.cchit.org/products.

"Our Care360 EHR certification milestone is further recognition of Quest Diagnostics' industry leadership in providing interoperable, secure and modular healthcare technology solutions," said Richard A. Mahoney, Quest Diagnostics' vice president of Healthcare Information Solutions and president of its MedPlus healthcare information technology subsidiary. "It is but one demonstration of our unwavering commitment to empower the nation's physicians with relevant, easy to use, affordable technologies that help them both improve patient care and qualify for government incentives."

The Care360 EHR product roadmap was aligned with most ONC criteria supporting the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Meaningful Use measures. As a result, MedPlus was able to begin preliminary certification activities early, and implemented a two-phase plan to achieve full ONC/HHS certification.  Now that Phase 1 certification, which includes 14 of the 24 criteria, has been successfully achieved, the company is focused on Phase 2 certification and meeting the remaining 10 criteria requirements per the final July 13th 2010 published ruling, the least defined EHR requirements from ONC. MedPlus plans to apply for final certification when it becomes available.

More than 70,000 physician locations and 160,000 physicians 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, using the same web-based platform.

"Care360 EHR is an intuitive solution that allows me to incrementally adopt the features I need to streamline my practice. The ability to have Care360 EHR completely running within just a couple of weeks made the transition from paper records completely seamless," said Dr. Saif Bajwa, an Internal Medicine Physician of Lake Elsinore, CA.  "As a result, Care360 EHR enables me to spend more time with my patients and less time reviewing paper charts and handwritten notes."

Physicians adopting Care360 EHR can use the convenient online learning modules to get up and running quickly. The entire Care360 platform is designed to facilitate a modular approach to adoption, allowing physicians to incrementally add functionality. Physicians in small and mid-sized practices can seamlessly transition from paper to electronic records at their own pace. For example, they can start with computerized physician order entry (CPOE) such as laboratory test ordering and ePrescribing, and move up to a full EHR with clinical documentation capabilities. Because Care360 EHR is completely web-based, physicians can avoid investments in specialized IT hardware or infrastructure, reducing time and costs often associated with implementing an HIT solution. With Care360 EHR, physicians access secure patient information anywhere anytime, from fixed or mobile internet browsers, including Apple iPhone and iPad platforms.  

Between now and September 30, 2010, physicians subscribing to Care360 EHR will receive the first 90 days free. As an added benefit to help physicians use the system efficiently, the company offers free or discounted training services as part of long-term contract commitments. Visit www.Care360.com for more information about Care360 solutions. To download Care360 Mobile for the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, visit the Apple Apps Store, Medical Applications.

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 EHR™ 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 160,000 physicians in more than 70,000 locations. In addition, Centergy™ and ChartMaxx® solutions efficiently and securely collect, store, manage and integrate clinical information within an organization, enterprise, practice or community. Centergy 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.

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics