STI and NJ-HITEC Join Force To Provide Workflow Solutions for Gastroenterologists
STI Computer Services and NJ-HITEC Launch a new GI Specific Program to assist GI Practices to implement and achieve Meaningful Use of the ChartMaker Electronic Medical Record System to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and provide better patient care.
STI Computer Services in Eagleville, Pennsylvania and the New Jersey Health Information Technology Extension Center (NJ-HITEC) in Newark, NJ are working together to launch a new program to assist Gastrointestinal Practices (GI) to improve the quality of care provided to their patients and to improve practice workflow through Electronic Medical Record (EMR) technology improvements in both their practices and Ambulatory Surgical Centers. The program will also educate GI physicians and their staff in the steps necessary to implement the ChartMaker® Medical Suite EMR to improve practice efficiency, and reduce costs as well as how to obtain federal EMR incentive funds.
In 2008, 1.23 million new cases of colorectal cancer were clinically diagnosed worldwide, and killed more than 608,000 people. Regular cancer screening can often find colorectal cancer early, when it is most likely to be curable. In many cases, screening can also prevent colorectal cancer altogether. This is because some polyps, or growths, can be found and removed before they have the chance to turn into cancer. Screening is effective at decreasing the chance of dying from colorectal cancer and is recommended starting at the age of 50. Most screening occurs in hospitals, medical centers, and Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC).
Improvements in computerized procedural technology have improved the workflow in GI ASCs to allow physicians to more efficiently provide colorectal cancer screening for their patients. STI provides the ChartMaker® Medical Suite EMR system that interfaces with ProVation® MD, a computerized procedure documentation and coding software used in hospitals and ASCs for colorectal cancer screening. With ChartMaker® and ProVation® MD, procedure screening is automated more efficiently starting with the patient’s primary physician’s request for a consultation evaluation to the GI physician.
GI physicians can now pass patient scheduling information for colorectal cancer screening automatically from an electronic referral authorization within the ChartMaker® EMR into the ASC ProVation® MD scopes. After the screening, the procedure results are returned the same day to ChartMaker® for electronic billing and follow-up at the GI practice. Pathology laboratory requests are also processed, ordered, and results are electronically returned from the laboratory into the patient’s EMR within ChartMaker® for fast GI physician review. The ChartMaker® EMR can automatically create reports to the patient’s primary care physician on both GI procedures and pathology findings for follow-up. The ChartMaker® EMR can assist GI physicians in colorectal cancer screening as well as other diseases and future recall follow-up for additional screening as well as improving practice efficiency for all medical care and procedure billing. GI physicians can see more patients and process procedural and laboratory results faster as well as schedule patients with abnormal results for future recall visits to continue screening and cancer prevention.
The implementation of EMR technology throughout the medical community is a national priority and the federal government through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has established financial incentives to assist medical practices to reduce the cost of these important EMR systems. For example GI practices that participate in the Medicare program can receive up to $24,000/physician if they implement and prove Meaningful Use of the ChartMaker® EMR over a 5 year period.
STI and NJ-HITEC are partnering to install the ChartMaker® EMR System and to assist GI physicians to become Meaningful Users to obtain these federal incentive payments so that they can improve efficiency and the quality of care within their practices and ASCs at a more affordable cost.
NJ-HITEC’s services provide each GI practice with a personal “Meaningful Use Advisor” to guide the physician through the entire Meaningful Use process. This partnership allows participating providers to receive NJ-HITEC membership and services at no cost, when they implement a ChartMaker® Medical Suite EMR system.
For more information contact Ali Bentley at 800-487-9135 Extension 1169
STI Computer Services, Inc. specializes in the development, sale, installation, and support of medical practice computer software. The ChartMaker® Medical Suite includes four integrated modules: Practice Manager, Scheduling; Entry Point, and the Clinical Electronic Medical Record system. The ChartMaker® Medical Suite is currently installed in over 3,000 medical practices. All modules are true Microsoft Windows program systems using SQL technology. STI also provides hardware products, installation and technical support.
NJ-HITEC is the New Jersey Regional Extension Center (REC) and is a national leader in helping physicians to achieve Meaningful Use of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems. NJ-HITEC has over 7,000 physician members. For more information, visit www.njhitec.org.