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Praxis® EMR version 3.4 recently became one of only 22 Electronic Medical Record (EMR) products to receive certification from the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHITSM). Doctor Richard Low, CEO of Infor-Med Corporation, developers of Praxis, envisions that CCHIT certification will act as a monumental catalyst for EMR adoption, predicting a 30% rise over the coming year.
Despite the numerous benefits both clinically and at the bottom line, EMRs have yet to be widely implemented by the nation's clinics. Last month's National Center for Health Statistics 2005 study shows that less than one in ten physicians (9.3%) use a "complete EMR system". Many IT analysts attribute the sluggish adoption to technology phobia among physicians.
But Doctor Low strongly disagrees. "In reality, doctors are extremely tech savvy and are ahead of the curve relative to other professionals," he states. "Slow adoption is due primarily to the majority of EMRs being template-based systems. Templates are inflexible and force patients into a pre-set mold, preventing doctors from practicing medicine as they know best. Non-template technology, such as Concept Processing, is a better solution."
And the CCHIT certification process, the first of its kind, provides reassurance. On July 18, 2006, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that this impartial seal of approval paves the way for adoption of health IT products by limiting the risk associated with investing in health IT. This is because all Ambulatory EHR 2006 CCHIT Certified(SM) products meet 100% of base-line levels of functionality, interoperability and security.
"This seal of certification removes a significant barrier to wide-spread adoption of electronic health records," added HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. "It gives healthcare providers peace of mind to know they are purchasing a product that is functional, interoperable and will bring higher quality, safer care to patients."
About Praxis EMR
Praxis (praxisemr.com) is the first EMR software based on concept processing technology. Infor-Med Corporation, founded in 1989, is headquartered in Woodland Hills, California and serves over 5,000 satisfied physician-users.
About CCHIT
CCHIT (cchit.org) was founded in 2004 with support from three leading industry associations in healthcare information management and technology - The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (Alliance). In September 2005, CCHIT was awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop, create prototypes for, and evaluate the certification criteria and inspection process for EHRs and the networks through which they inter-operate.
CCHITSM and CCHIT CertifiedSM are service marks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.
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