Avera Health and South Dakota e-Health Collaborative to Participate in National EHR Demonstration Project
(7/2/2008)

To further advance health care I.T., the federal government is awarding financial incentives to physicians who efficiently use electronic health records (EHRs) to improve patient care. During a June 13th press conference in Sioux Falls, SD, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt discussed the state's selection as one of 12 communities to take part in a national EHR demonstration project to determine whether incentives can encourage small and medium-sized physician practices to increase their use of EHRs.

"We believe EHRs can help physicians deliver better, more efficient care for their patients, in part by reducing medical errors," Leavitt said. "This project is designed to demonstrate these benefits and help increase the use of this technology in practices where adoption has been the slowest - at the individual and small practice level."

South Dakota was chosen in part due to its rural profile and concentration of physicians in small to mid-size practices. Practices selected must have fewer than 20 providers. In addition, the state's proposal includes providers in adjacent areas of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa, making the application even more attractive because it involves a larger geographic area, Leavitt said.

Agencies and health systems throughout the region, known collectively as the South Dakota e-Health Collaborative, cooperated to apply for the program. MEDITECH and LSS customer Avera Health (Sioux Falls, SD) was involved in the creation of this group and its proposal, which secured the state's selection in the demonstration project. As the region's largest health system - with more than 230 locations in eastern South Dakota and surrounding states - their participation will be vital to the project's success.

Avera is now in the process of a system-wide rollout of LSS Data Systems' Medical and Practice Management (MPM) Suite, an ambulatory EHR and practice management solution which integrates with MEDITECH's Health Care Information System to create a single, enterprise-wide health record. Once complete, it will connect hundreds of physician practices in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

"The opportunity to participate in the national EHR demonstration project could not have come at a better time for Avera," says Tad Jacobs, D.O., Avera's chief medical information officer. "The project will help to support the rollout of MPM across our system. It's a win-win situation for rural health care providers and their patients."

South Dakota was further chosen as one of the first four areas where the project will begin immediately. The other eight locations will start in 2009. The 5-year program will reward a selection of doctors who use certified electronic health records to treat patients. Practices must have - or agree to install before the second year - an electronic record which has been certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®).

The Medical and Practice Management Suite Client/Server 5.54 from LSS Data Systems is a CCHIT Certified® product for CCHIT Ambulatory EHR 2007. Additionally, the Advanced Clinical Systems Client/Server 5.6 from MEDITECH is a CCHIT Certified product for CCHIT Inpatient EHR 2007. And the Advanced Clinical Systems MAGIC 5.6 from MEDITECH is a CCHIT Certified product for CCHIT Inpatient EHR 2007.

Each physician practice must use the EHR to report national quality measures and perform specific functions, including clinical documentation, lab orders, and ordering prescriptions. The inherent integration between MEDITECH and LSS ensures seamless reporting of all data, such as medications and allergies, and facilitates the demonstration's automatic reporting requirement.

"We think the selection of South Dakota for the first phase of this important demonstration project was an excellent choice," says Stephanie Petersen, president and chief operating officer for LSS. "We're pleased to support Avera and our other South Dakota customers who will play an important role in the project's success."

Hoda Sayed-Friel, vice president of marketing for MEDITECH, adds the company is very proud of customers like Avera for leading the way. "Health care is transforming as we speak," she says. "This project will highlight how I.T. can supplement the best care practices of our doctors and nurses to deliver quality care."

 

CCHIT® is a registered mark of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.
CCHIT Certified® is a registered mark of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.

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