Office Practicum® 8.1 Achieves Conditional CCHIT® 08 Certification in Ambulatory and Child Health EHR Domains
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Warrington, Pennsylvania, April 20, 2009 – The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) today announced that Connexin Software Inc.’s product Office Practicum® 8.1 is a conditionally CCHIT Certified® 08 Ambulatory EHR (additionally certified for Child Health) pending advanced ePrescribing and operational use verification. Ambulatory electronic health records (EHRs) are designed for physician offices and clinics where most Americans get their healthcare. The Commission – a private, nonprofit organization – is the Recognized Certification Body in the United States for certifying health information technology products.
In the third year of the program’s operation, the criteria and testing have been significantly updated again to provide physicians with more assurance that certified products will meet their needs for functionality, interoperability and security. The Commission added 19 criteria to the 200 required in 2007. Those changes were focused on the ability to exchange patient information with other systems. A CCHIT Certified 08 Ambulatory EHR ensures:
- Additional electronic prescribing features: access to the patient’s medication history, formulary, and eligibility. Connexin Software is actively working with SureScripts to certify these features and expects to deliver them by early June 2009, at which time Office Practicum will qualify for full CCHIT certification.
- Better and safer medication dosing, adjusted for patient weight and other factors.
- Better ability to prevent adverse reactions due to drug interactions or allergies.
- Use of standard formats to exchange basic patient information for continuity of care.
- Enhanced ability to view X-rays and other diagnostic images.
- Better management of patient consents and authorizations.
- Increased use of standard formats when receiving and storing laboratory results.
“CCHIT certification is a critical milestone in the development of Office Practicum,” said Fredrick R. Pytlak, Connexin Chairman and CEO. “It is a tangible sign of the maturity and stability of the product, and of our commitment to standards and interoperability. We look forward to maintaining certification in the future and staying at the cutting edge of pediatric practice needs.” About Connexin Software, Inc.
Connexin Software, Inc. is the leading provider of electronic medical records systems for use in pediatric clinical settings. Since 1995, Connexin has provided innovative solutions to hundreds of medical practices in over 40 states, ranging from solo providers to hospital-based clinics. The privately held company maintains primary offices in New York City and suburban Philadelphia. “Office Practicum®” is a registered mark of Connexin Software, Inc.
About CCHIT
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) is a private, nonprofit organization that has been named by the federal government as the Recognized Certification Body for health information technology. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating a credible, sustainable certification program. The certification requirements are based on widely accepted industry standards and involve the work of hundreds of expert volunteers and input from a variety of stakeholders throughout the health care industry. More information on CCHIT and CCHIT Certified® products is available at http://www.cchit.org/ and http://www.ehrdecisions.com/. “CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered marks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology. Media Contacts:
Gregory H. Anderson, Connexin Software, Inc.
212-366-6987 x102
greg@connexinsoftware.com
John Morrissey, CCHIT
312-674-4934
jmorrissey@cchit.org
FAQ on financial aid for EHR systems through the stimulus package
Pediatricians have many questions about the incentives available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to support the adoption of health information technology. While many of the details have not yet been finalized through the regulatory process, the AAP Departments of Practice and Federal Affairs have developed the attached FAQ to provide answers to some of the most common questions. Click here to download (PDF file) the " Frequently Asked Questions About the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009". The article provides information on the timeline for receiving reimbursement, the requirements for reimbursement as they have been defined so far, and links to other resources that provide information and guidance on choosing a suitable EHR for Pediatrics.
2009 AAP Conference Tour Schedule
After the success of last year's AAP Conference tour, we will be hitting the road again to visit with pediatricians across the country at local AAP Chapter meetings! Below is a list of the meetings we have currently scheduled and possible dates for future events - Stay tuned for confirmation on the dates marked 'tentative'... California, Chapter 3 - Advances in Pediatrics, San Diego, CA - February 13th to 15th...(The show was a great success! Thanks to all who stopped by our booth!) Kansas AAP - 4 region conference - (KS, MO, NE, IA) - Pediatrics in the Heartland, Overland Park, KS - April 17th and 18th - http://www.aapkansas.org/content/chapter/calendar.html Oklahoma AAP - Oklahoma Pediatricians - On the Frontline, Tulsa, OK - April 24th and 25th - http://www.okaap.org/ New Jersey AAP - CME Conference and Annual Meeting - Bugs, Drugs, Visuals and Codes, Atlantic City, NJ - June 9th - http://www.aapnj.org/csp/aap/main.csp Arizona AAP - Pediatrics in the Red Rocks, Sedona, AZ - June 12th to 14th - http://www.azaap.org/events/pediatrics-red-rocks.aspx Virginia AAP (tentative) - Pediatrics at the Beach Conference, Virgina Beach, VA - July 17th to 19th -http://www.virginiapediatrics.org/chapternews/chapternews6.html AAP National Conference & Exhibition (NCE) 2009, Washington, DC - October 17th to 20th - http://www.aapexperience.org/ California District 9 (Chpts 1,2,3,4) (tentative) - Pediatric Update, Las Vegas, NV - November 19th to 22nd As the age of EMR is ushered in even more quickly by the President's stimulus package and the ever increasing advances in technology, we are excited to get back on the road this year to speak with pediatricians, young and seasoned, to hear about their experiences and their plans for implementing EMR in their businesses! If you are interested in learning more about Office Practicum or if you would like the opportunity to meet with our representatives, demo the system, or discuss the benefits of EMR, please feel free to visit us at any of the shows listed above! We would be excited to meet with you and show you a live demonstration of the Office Practicum system at our booth. Please feel free to invite colleagues and friends!
Real-Time Connectivity with NYC Registry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Warrington, Pennsylvania, October 11, 2008 – Connexin Software, Inc., publisher of the award-winning Office Practicum® pediatric electronic medical records system, today announced that it has become the first EMR vendor to pilot real-time bidirectional connectivity with the New York Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR).
“Immunization-related activities consume a lot of pediatric office resources,” said Gregory H. Anderson, Connexin Treasurer and CFO. “Much of that effort goes into building and maintaining vaccination histories. With this interface, a new patient’s immunization chart can be populated instantly with a single click – no transcription required. And submitting back to the registry is completely automatic.”
Most immunization registries now offer a combination of batch and/or interactive submission of vaccination records, plus a web portal to retrieve the information. This approach offers few workflow benefits over paper chart transcription, because that information – though often more complete and up-to-date than paper records - still must be hand-entered into EMR systems. By adopting HL7 standards and delivering delimited data through a real-time web service, the new CIR system transcends this problem by allowing for direct computer-to-computer exchange.
“Time and again, pediatricians tell us that they support universal immunization and want to do their part to disseminate information about vaccination records,” said Anderson. “But it has to be incorporated seamlessly into their office workflow, and they want to get something back for their effort. The CIR real-time interface is a huge step in that direction. Our New York City clients are eager to work with it.”
As the leader in pediatric EMRs, Office Practicum has a strong history of support for immunization registries. It was one of the first programs to provide a batch interface
to the original CIR in 1997 and remains among the largest submitters of clinical vaccine records today. Subsequent enhancements have brought the total number of supported registries to more than 20. In addition, Connexin has participated in AAP/AIRA and CDC conferences to encourage broader adoption of standards and increased rates of provider participation with immunization registries.
Real-time connectivity will be demonstrated at the AAP National Conference and Exposition in Boston, Massachusetts, from October 11 – 13, 2008. Initial commercial delivery is expected immediately upon CIR production availability.
Contacts:
Gregory H. Anderson, Connexin Software, Inc.
212-366-6987 x102
greg@connexinsoftware.com
Amy Metroka, New York Citywide Immunization Registry
212-676-2323
ametroka@health.nyc.gov
About Connexin Software, Inc.
Connexin Software, Inc. is the leading provider of electronic medical records systems for use in pediatric clinical settings. Since 1995, Connexin has provided innovative solutions to hundreds of medical practices in over 40 states, ranging from solo providers to hospital-based clinics. The privately held company maintains primary offices in New York City and suburban Philadelphia.
About the New York Citywide Immunization Registry
The New York Citywide Immunization Registry provides a central record-keeping system to track the immunization status of individual children and to monitor immunization levels in the population in a timely manner. First established in 1997, the CIR makes immunization records available to individuals, parents, legal guardians or custodians, health care providers, health plans, schools, and other agencies concerned with health to help ensure that NYC residents receive all required immunizations and are, thereby, protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Office Practicum Incorporate AAP Content
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Warrington, Pennsylvania, October 11, 2008 – Connexin Software, Inc., publisher of the award-winning Office Practicum® pediatric electronic medical records system, today announced that it has become the first EMR vendor to deliver licensed content from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to its users. “As EMRs mature, physicians are moving beyond basic functionality and looking for decision-making resources right at the point of care,” said Fredrick Pytlak, Connexin Chairman and CEO. “With Office Practicum’s focus on pediatric requirements, the breadth and depth of the renowned AAP clinical content is a natural fit.” “Our members have been telling us that in order to use our resources most effectively, they need to move beyond paper,” said Jill Ferguson, AAP Director of Marketing. “This agreement will help pediatricians access the expert knowledge they need to make decisions and advise patients as they write their medical records.” The licensed content consists of two parts. The first, called “AAP Essential Guidelines,” consists of the Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (3rd Edition) and Pediatric Clinical Practice Guidelines and Policies (PCPGP). The Bright Futures guidelines will be adapted as a series of templates, surveys, anticipatory guidance, and care plans that will allow providers to conduct well visits in accordance with current Academy recommendations and best practices. PCPGP content, which includes AAP’s clinical practice guidelines, policy statements, clinical reports and technical reports, will be delivered in its original form. PCPGP material will be indexed so that it can be accessed in a context-sensitive fashion. The second part of the agreement covers the subscription content of the AAP Red Book® Online (RBO), Patient Education Online (PEO), and brand new Pediatric Care Online® (PCO) web sites. Connexin will act as a reseller for these services and hold a blanket license so that its users can access the sites without logging in. In addition, the content of these sites will be pre-indexed within Office Practicum. Key words and diagnostic codes will automatically generate point-and-click lists of the best available subscription content for the problem at hand. Integration of the licensed content will be demonstrated at the AAP National Conference and Exposition in Boston, Massachusetts, from October 11 – 13, 2008. Initial commercial delivery is expected by year-end. Contacts: Gregory H. Anderson, Connexin Software, Inc. 212-366-6987 x102 greg@connexinsoftware.comKim FitzSimmons, American Academy of Pediatrics 847-434-4342 kfitzsimmons@aap.orgAbout Connexin Software, Inc. Connexin Software, Inc. is the leading provider of electronic medical records systems for use in pediatric clinical settings. Since 1995, Connexin has provided innovative solutions to hundreds of medical practices in over 40 states, ranging from solo providers to hospital-based clinics. The privately held company maintains primary offices in New York City and suburban Philadelphia. About the American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
Office Practicum will exhibit at the AAP National Conference, October 11th - 13th, 2008
Office Practicum (OP) can be found at booth # 825 at the upcoming American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition (NCE), in Boston, MA, this October 11th - 13th. At our booth, you can visit with our company representatives, view demos of OP, ask questions, and play with the system. Office Practicum will also be competing in the Pediatric Documentation Challenge (PDC) at 2.00pm on Sunday, October 12th. The PDC is an event in which different EHR vendors are required to complete a number of complicated pediatric scenarios written by the AAP, in a timed setting before an audience of pediatricians and AAP-member judges. Office Practicum has competed in this event the past 2 years and it has always been very informative, providing pediatricians with an excellent opportunity to examine and compare the capabilities of leading EHR systems. If you will be attending the AAP NCE in Boston next weekend, please feel free to stop by our booth, # 825. We would be delighted to meet with you, demonstrate Office Practicum, and answer any questions you may have. We hope to see you there! For more information visit the AAP website, www.aap.org/nce. If you can't make it to the AAP NCE, stay tuned for our blog entries after the conference - we will fill you in on the Pediatric Documentation Challenge and other events.
NPI Number Update
ALL Insurance Payers will require NPI numbers on claims as of May 23rd, 2008. Noncompliance with NPI numbers may result in rejections and cash flow problems for your office. In order to comply, your office must: - Make sure you have registered your NPI numbers with ALL payers.
- Make sure you update Office Practicum provider and payer records with NPI information.
- Make sure you are sending your NPI numbers on your claims.
- Work with your designated clearinghouse to test a small batch of claims by sending NPI ONLY to make sure your claims won't be rejected when legacy numbers are no longer required.
- Contact and inquire directly with each of your Insurance Payers for directions and information as Insurance Payers will/may have their own requirements and process for submitting your NPI numbers.
Please contact us at support@connexinsoftware.com, for detailed instructions on how to become NPI compliant in regard to Office Practicum.
2008 Tour Schedule
"We're getting the band back together." - Elwood BluesWe have decided to break out of our usual "TEPR in May, NCE in October" routine this year. Instead, in an effort to support and get closer to our core constituency - real, live pediatricians! - we will be attending the following AAP State/Regional shows, in addition to the NCE in Boston: Wisconsin AAP "Not Your Dad's CME" - April 18-20, Milwaukee Georgia AAP "Pediatrics by the Sea" - June 1-3, Amelia Island Arizona AAP "Pediatrics in the Red Rocks" - June 20-22, Sedona North Carolina Pediatric Society Annual Meeting - August 15-17, Myrtle Beach Texas Pediatric Society Annual Meeting - September 18-21, Houston AAP National Conference and Exhibition - October 11-14, Boston California District IX Las Vegas Seminars - November 20-23, Las Vegas This is a pretty good geographic mix, with enough time to catch our breath between events. (We're not as young as we used to be.) If you are an existing customer who is planning to attend one of these shows, please let us know: We'd love to catch up with you while we're there. If you've been considering OP and would like an in-person demo, this is the ideal opportunity to spend some quality time one-on-one. If this effort goes well, we intend to repeat it next year, with some new times and locations. Please let us know about any other recommendations for sponsorable/exhibitable events.
CCHIT 2008 Is Coming
We recently sat down to evaluate where OP stands relative to CCHIT certification standards, because the 2008 specification FINALLY includes a Child Health module. Prior to this year, it was possible for an EMR to be CCHIT certified but NOT be entirely suitable for pediatric use. This new certification will rectify that situation.
As our users are well aware through their daily use of the product, we believe OP is in very good shape to pass the 2008 certification suite with minimal changes. In large part, this is due to our annual participation in the AAP Documentation Challenges, which has kept us state-of-the-art in terms of pediatric features. Also, we undertook an initiative last year to make the current release of OP compliant with the AAP white paper authored by Dr. Spooner last March.
Full compliance with the CCHIT specification does require a few workflow changes, so we would like to convene a small panel of existing OP users to review our plans before implementing them fully. If you have an interest in helping us with this project, please contact me directly. Time is of the essence, as we would like to get into the first 2008 certification cycle in May.
Dr. and Mr. Kressly Go To Washington
Sue and I went to a two-day conference in Washington, DC on February 7 and 8 to discuss how to increase physician usage of Immunization Information Systems (AKA Immunization Registries). Along with Stuart Weinberg of Vanderbilt University, Sue was the official AAP representative to the conference. Our task was to develop recommendations for the National Vaccine Advisory Council in three major areas. Sue spoke on physician incentives, Stu talked about regulatory issues, and there was a third panel about more stable funding for these services. I tagged along and ended up being the only representative of an EMR vendor who actually has to figure out how to make EMRs and IISs interoperable.
You may be surprised to learn that most registries offer web pages to enter and look up vaccination records, but almost none offer a service that allows these records to be imported directly into EMRs, the way OP can import insurance eligibility and benefits. That's coming (slowly), but not as quickly as anyone would like. Over the next year, most of us would just settle for everyone agreeing to adopt a common set of standards, because OP now offers connectivity to almost 20 different registries, and no two are exactly alike (though some are close).
Also, there are numerous regulatory barriers to using these systems effectively on an interstate basis. For example, if a patient moved from, say, New Jersey to New York, there is no way to make their old NJ records available electronically to their selected NY doctor. Crazy, huh? Everyone cites Katrina as an IIS success story, but the truth is that it took special legislation to allow interconnectivity between LINKS (the LA registry) and the other states where the population scattered after the hurricane.
This meeting was a follow-on to the AAP/AIRA conference we attended last September. Sue hit all the summary points from that meeting, such as the need for uniform standards, bi-directional connectivity, and a customizable medical decision-making algorithm based on current ACIP standards. She also tried to emphasize that doctors care far more about the value of their time and workflows than small cash incentives to participate in registries (though cash is always nice!). "Pediatricians wholeheartedly support universal immunization, and we believe in sharing this information with each other... Build it right, and we will come," was her basic mantra. I hope they were listening. When the final report comes out, I will summarize it here.
I made some good contacts with registries OP has not yet built interfaces for, like Rhode Island and Houston. I also made a commitment with one well-known registry to participate in some groundbreaking work that should bear fruit around the middle of this year. Watch this space...
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