Hospital-Based Agreement Highlights Impact of Regulatory Changes Connecting
Physicians and Hospitals
CHICAGO and QUINCY, Ill., Aug. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Allscripts
(Nasdaq: MDRX), the leading provider of clinical software and information
solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, announced today that
Blessing Health System has selected Allscripts as their Electronic Health
Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) provider to automate and connect
clinical and administrative processes for more than 60 employed and
independent physicians.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061005/ALLSCRIPTSLOGO-b )
Quincy-based Blessing Health System operates two hospitals and a variety
of other healthcare services, including Blessing Physician Services (BPS), a
multi-specialty group of 40 physicians who serve patients from Western
Illinois, Northeast Missouri and Southeast Iowa. Blessing Health System will
provide the Allscripts solutions to their employed physicians in their
physician services group as well as to another 21 independent faculty
physicians and medical residents of the Quincy Family Practice Center, a
teaching facility of the Southern Illinois University Medical School.
In extending the technology offering to independent physicians, Blessing
Health System is taking advantage of recent changes to federal regulations
that are connecting physicians and hospitals nationwide. The federal Stark
regulation, which limits the scope of hospital-physician relationships, has
been relaxed to enable hospitals to assist non-employed physicians in adopting
healthcare information technologies, including electronic health records, to
enhance patient safety and quality of care.
“By offering both affiliated and non-affiliated physicians the Allscripts
electronic health record and practice management solution, we can provide a
seamless connection to critical patient information along the entire continuum
of care,” said Jerry Jackson, President/Chief Executive Officer, Blessing
Physician Services. “Our goal is to develop a hospital-based community model
under which Blessing Hospital and all of Quincy’s medical groups join to offer
truly integrated patient care.”
The Electronic Health Record provides physicians at Blessing Physician
Services with instant access to patient information when and where they need
it — at the hospital, in their offices, or while on-call at home. The
web-based solution automates everyday clinical tasks such as prescribing and
refilling medications, ordering and reviewing tests, and documenting patient
care. Easy to use and customize, the Electronic Health Record features robust
clinical tools that support safe medical practices, including health
maintenance alerts, clinical decision support, and automated drug safety
checking.
The Practice Management functionality combines sophisticated scheduling
and Revenue Cycle Management tools to help physician practices become more
productive while improving service to patients. Important features include
advanced billing and reconciliation, referral and eligibility indicators, and
automated patient appointment reminders.
Following a comprehensive search, Blessing Physician Services selected
Allscripts for the company’s financial stability and demonstrated ability to
successfully deploy the Electronic Health Record and Practice Management
solutions for large hospital-based organizations.
“The physicians who participated in the Allscripts demonstration were
impressed that they could intuitively use the electronic health record to move
through their workflow in a natural fashion,” said Gina Genenbacher, Director,
Blessing Physician Services. “Allscripts provides all the advantages of an
automated clinical system that enhances a physician’s ability to deliver
quality patient care.”
Allscripts Chief Executive Officer Glen Tullman commented, “Increasing
numbers of hospitals are intent on developing an end-to-end community care
model that assures continuity of care for patients whether they are in the
hospital or physician’s offices outside the hospital. The cornerstone of the
community model is immediate access to patient information, anytime and
anywhere, and we are proud that Blessing Health System has selected Allscripts
to help deliver on that vision.”
About Blessing Health System
Blessing Corporate Services, Inc., formed in 1983, is the parent company
of the Blessing Health System, which consists of 340-bed Blessing Hospital,
Illini Community Hospital, Blessing Physician Services, Blessing-Rieman
College of Nursing, The Blessing Foundation, Blessing Affiliates, Inc., and
Denman Services, Inc.
About Allscripts
Allscripts is the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and
information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare. The
Company’s business units provide unique solutions that inform, connect and
transform healthcare. Allscripts award-winning software applications include
Electronic Health Records, practice management, e-prescribing, document
imaging, emergency department, and care management solutions, all offered
through the Company’s Clinical Solutions units. Additionally, Allscripts
provides clinical product education and connectivity solutions for physicians
and patients through its Physicians Interactive(TM) unit, and medication
fulfillment services through its Medication Services unit. To learn more,
visit Allscripts on the Web at www.allscripts.com.
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements about Allscripts
Healthcare Solutions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements
are developed by combining currently available information with Allscripts
beliefs and assumptions. Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future
performance. Because Allscripts cannot predict all of the risks and
uncertainties that may affect it, or control the ones it does predict,
Allscripts’ actual results may be materially different from the results
expressed in its forward-looking statements. For a more complete discussion
of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may affect Allscripts, see
the Company’s 2006 Annual Report on Form 10-K, available through the Web site
maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.
SOURCE Allscripts
-0- 08/15/2007
/CONTACT: Dan Michelson, Chief Marketing Officer, +1-312-506-1217,
dan.michelson@allscripts.com, or Todd Stein, Senior ManagerPublic Relations,
+1-312-506-1216, todd.stein@allscripts.com; or Emily Robbearts,
MarketingOutreach Coordinator of Blessing Physician Services,
+1-217-223-8400, ext. 7894, eorobbearts@blessinghospital.org/
/Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061005/ALLSCRIPTSLOGO-b
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com/
/Web site: https://www.allscripts.com /
(MDRX)
CO: Allscripts; Blessing Health System
ST: Illinois
IN: HEA MTC CPR STW WRK
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7379 08/15/2007 09:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com