“‘Meaningful use’ has always been paramount to us because EHR usability at the point-of-care is so essential,” says Justin T. Barnes, vice president of marketing, corporate development and government affairs at Greenway Medical Technologies. “In fact, we helped bring the terminology to the Hill.” Barnes has addressed Congress and both Administrations on 12 occasions in recent years, sharing his policy expertise on EHR usability, certification, privacy, security, compliance, interoperability, adoption, and other topics.
Today, as components of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, EHR “meaningful use” and certification are set to become keys to medical groups' and provider organizations' securing incentive payments to help offset their investments in healthcare IT.
Greenway's long-held belief in the importance of meaningful EHR use has already yielded results. In 2008, Greenway's EHR, PrimeSuite®, was the software Best in KLAS winner in both the Ambulatory EMR (2-5 Physicians) and Ambulatory EMR (6-25 Physicians) categories in the 2008 Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Professional Services report. PrimeSuite also took Best in KLAS in the Practice Management (6-25 Physicians) category.
“EHR software certification is the other side of the coin under HITECH,” says Barnes, “and we are always the first or among the first to secure any relevant certifications for our products.”
Greenway's e-prescribing engine, powered by DrFirst, was also among the first to receive certification from the SureScripts network. The final definition of meaningful use will certainly include e-prescribing, and PrimeSuite's fully-integrated features will be among the industry's most advanced.
“In terms of achieving meaningful use, we're also ahead of the competition with standards-based interoperability and reporting,” says Barnes. “Our PrimeExchange® solution uses the HL7 Continuity of Care Document specification for information exchange and better coordination of care. PrimeSuite's fully integrated quality and outcomes reporting already supports the PQRI [Physician Quality Reporting Initiative], and it will accommodate whatever final quality metrics may come down relating to HITECH.”
“The HITECH Act is just months old,” says Barnes, “but in a very real way, we've been committed to meaningful use now for 13 years, since we were founded. For our customers, HITECH will absolutely be a much-needed economic stimulus.”
Sidebar
Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc.
Corporate Headquarters, 121 Greenway Boulevard, Carrollton, Georgia 30117, 1-866-242-3805, http://www.greenwaymedical.com
Healthcare Informatics 2009 September;26(9):20