Meaningful Use Boosted in US Radiology and Orthopedic Practices

A new radiology information system (RIS) provides a radiology-specific electronic health record (EHR) with complete certification that enables radiologists to capture and report on the metrics required to demonstrate meaningful use (MU) of select EHRs, without disrupting their typical workflow.

Merge Healthcare, Inc. (Chicago, IL, USA), a provider of enterprise imaging and interoperability solutions, announced the addition of 12 practices to its growing list of clients who have selected its complete and fully-certified EHR solution to achieve MU. More than 89 clients, representing more than 850 physicians, now utilize Merge MU solutions.

“Meaningful use is the basis for health information exchange in the US and will become the core workflow for physicians,” said Jeff Surges, CEO of Merge Healthcare. “With the recently proposed stage 2 requirements that focus heavily on the viewing of diagnostic images, it’s clear that specialties like radiology and orthopedics are very much so included in meaningful use. Now is the time for specialty physicians to adopt a meaningful use strategy so they can qualify for stage 1 funding, while preparing for stage 2.”

“While there are financial reasons to focus on meaningful use, the driver for us is that it is going to build a foundation upon which we can provide even better care to our patients,” said Ellis Keitt, administrator, Radiology Associates, LLP (Corpus Christi, TX, USA). “With Merge RIS, we are going to be able to collect and share valuable information, automatically trend clinical data and report on MU measures.”

With Merge RIS v7.0, radiologists can qualify to receive up to USD 44,000 in stimulus incentives, per eligible provider, and more importantly, avoid future penalties that will come from not meeting MU. Merge RIS v7.0 functionality includes ePrescribing, enhanced reporting that enables physicians to automatically trend clinical data and report on meaningful use measures, new clinical decision support, the clinical exchange of health data through industry standard formats, and a patient portal that empowers patients to access their records at their convenience. This new functionality was built natively within the intuitive, web-based Merge RIS so that any radiology practice can achieve MU attestation in a manner that works for their specialty.

“With Merge OrthoEMR we can meet meaningful use criteria and earn stimulus incentives,” said Vickie Shuler, clinic administrator, Western Carolina Orthopedic Specialists (Clyde, NC, USA). “Using Merge OrthoEMR also means we’ll avoid financial penalties that are coming to those not using MU-certified solutions. The most important aspect of Merge OrthoEMR for us is that it will help us provide better care, streamline our workflow, and improve operational efficiencies.”

Merge OrthoEMR has received complete EHR Ambulatory certification and provides orthopedic physicians the tools needed to achieve MU and qualify for incentive funds. By providing immediate access to images at all locations, Merge’s OrthoEMR eliminates the need for transporting images, improves workflow, and speeds patient care.

In addition to Merge OrthoEMR, Merge provides an integrated suite of products developed for the specific needs of the orthopedic practice, from patient information to image management including digital templating. Developed by orthopedic specialists, the systems and tools reflect charting and patient care today, increasing the long-term adoptability and satisfaction of users. Furthermore, with imaging and data sharing they promote interoperability, without forcing conformance to nonspecialty hospital-based solutions.

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