Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions (MDRX: 16.89 0.00 0.00%) has announced that MedWest Health System has adopted the company’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) solutions for its 60 employed physicians. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
MedWest Health System, which is affiliated to the Carolinas Healthcare System, is a three-hospital system based in North Carolina operating 323 licensed beds. MedWest is also considering to feature and deliver Allscripts’ EHR and PM solutions to more than 200 non-employed physicians across the communities it serves.
MedWest plans to install Allscripts’ PM system to its employed physician practices prior to the introduction of the EHR. It plans to replace the existing Electronic Medical Record System (EMRs) with EHR which should enable a more efficient and an effective delivery of patient care.
By adopting EHR, MedWest expects to demonstrate a meaningful use of the solution in 2011, thereby enabling it to qualify for maximum government subsidies under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Physicians and hospitals that adopt EHR and use them in a meaningful way are eligible for incentives under ARRA. The incentives, effective in 2011, could reach at least $2 million for hospitals.
Allscripts’ Health Center Solution includes the EHR, PM and advanced reporting functionality. EHR is a software that automates the process of writing prescriptions. The EHR system enables physicians to send prescriptions directly to a pharmacy by e-mail. It has been proven that the effective use of EHR systems reduces medical errors, enhances clinical quality and leads to better patient outcomes by providing real-time access to patient records.
The U.S. government has been increasingly emphasizing the use of EHR systems in recent times, as is evident from the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. For the first time ever, the Act provides financial incentives to physicians who adopt e-prescribing. The Act requires adoption of this practice by 2011.
Libertyville-based Allscripts is a leading provider of clinical software and information solutions meant for physicians. The company faces strong competition from Cerner Corp. (CERN: 76.31 0.00 0.00%), Merge Healthcare Inc. (MRGE: 3.00 0.00 0.00%), Quality Systems Inc. (QSII: 57.78 0.00 0.00%) andAthenahealth Inc. (ATHN: 22.80 0.00 0.00%).
MedWest represents a valuable addition to Allscripts’ market-leading customer base in North Carolina, where the company provides solutions to more than 3,300 individual physicians.
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