First Seattle-Area Hospital to Take Advantage of Stark Changes Allowing
Hospitals to Donate EHR Technology
CHICAGO and SEATTLE, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Allscripts
(Nasdaq: MDRX), the leading provider of clinical software and information
solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, announced today that
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center has selected the TouchWorks(TM) Electronic
Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) solution for 50 affiliated
physicians, including some independent members of the medical staff. The
hospital plans to offer the Allscripts solution to another 250 affiliated and
non-affiliated physicians over the next few years.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061005/ALLSCRIPTSLOGO-b )
Northwest Hospital is one of Seattle’s most prestigious healthcare
institutions, with 281 licensed beds and nearly 500,000 patient visits per
year. The agreement between Northwest Hospital and Allscripts is the first
instance of a Seattle-area hospital taking advantage of recent changes to
federal regulations that now allow hospitals to fund healthcare information
technology for physicians in their communities. Last October, the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of Inspector General
created so-called “safe harbors” to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and
exceptions to the federal Stark Act, which strictly limits the scope of
hospital-physician relationships. Under the changes, hospitals can provide
their affiliated physicians up to 85 percent of the cost of an Electronic
Health Record and up to 100 percent of the cost of electronic prescribing
technology. As a result, hospitals are actively seeking EHR and ePrescribing
solutions that meet the unique needs of physicians outside the hospital, also
enabling them to build stronger ties to these physicians.
“By offering both affiliated and non-affiliated physicians an integrated
EHR and practice management solution, we will be able to provide them a
seamless connection to our network and patient information along the entire
continuum of care. We can facilitate an electronic dialogue among all the
members of a patient’s care team no matter their location, and increase our
ability to offer truly integrated patient care,” said C. William Schneider,
Chief Executive Officer and president of Northwest Hospital. “We anticipate
that this system will help us build stronger connections between Northwest
Hospital and physicians throughout our community, as well as contribute to our
ongoing quality of care and patient safety initiatives.”
The TouchWorks Electronic Health Record
( https://www.allscripts.com/touchworks ) brings Northwest Hospital’s
physicians instant access to patient information when and where they need it
— at the hospital, in their offices, or while on-call at home. TouchWorks
automates and makes safer everyday clinical tasks such as prescribing and
refilling medications, ordering and reviewing tests, and documenting patient
care. An easy-to-use and customizable solution, TouchWorks 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 of TouchWorks combines sophisticated
scheduling and financial management tools in a single package. Important
features of the solution include rules-based appointment scheduling, multi-
resource and recurring appointment features, referral and eligibility
indicators, and appointment and claims management.
Schneider said the hospital selected Allscripts after a nearly two-year
search because the company’s web-based architecture and its on-demand
Applications Service Provider (ASP) model suited their needs, both in
technology and the ability to deploy the EHR and practice management solution
cost effectively via the web to affiliated and non-affiliated physicians. The
ASP model lets physician practices adopt one or both of the Allscripts
solutions without purchasing the expensive hardware required to host such a
system on-site.
“The Stark rule change has accelerated the interest among hospitals in
promoting the adoption and utilization of healthcare information technology
that can be deployed in a cost effective ASP model, and today we’re seeing the
results of that interest with the partnership between Allscripts and Northwest
Hospital,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts.
“Northwest Hospital is taking a true leadership position in the Seattle area
by pushing this life-saving technology out to physicians in their community to
increase connectivity, add referrals, improve quality, reduce errors and
better manage costs.”
About Northwest Hospital and Medical Center
Opened in 1960, Northwest Hospital and Medical Center is a full-service,
non-profit community hospital located minutes north of downtown Seattle. With
281 licensed beds, more than 1,600 employees and all private rooms, it offers
some of the most innovative, technologically advanced medical care available.
Major clinical programs and services include: emergency services; critical
care; cardiac care; stroke center; cancer care; childbirth services; bariatric
surgery; medical rehabilitation; neurosciences; diagnostic imaging;
geropsychiatric center; Gamma Knife(R) Center; laboratory services; and
education and wellness programs, among others. For more information about
Northwest Hospital, visit http://www.nwhospital.org or call 206-364-0500 or
206-633-4636 for the Physician Referral Line.
About Allscripts
Allscripts is the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and
information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare. The Company’s
business groups provide unique solutions that inform, connect and transform
healthcare. The Clinical Solutions Group’s award-winning software applications
include electronic health record, practice management, electronic prescribing,
document imaging, emergency department and care management solutions.
Additionally, Allscripts provides clinical product education and connectivity
solutions for physicians and patients through its Physicians Interactive(TM)
Group and medication fulfillment services through its Medication Services
Group. To learn more, visit Allscripts on the Web at
https://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 2005 Annual Report on Form 10-K, available through the Web site
maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov .
SOURCE Allscripts
-0- 02/12/2007
/CONTACT: Dan Michelson, Chief Marketing Officer, +1-312-506-1217, or
dan.michelson@allscripts.com , or Todd Stein, Senior Manager-Public Relations,
+1-312-506-1216, or todd.stein@allscripts.com , both of Allscripts; or
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center Contact, Karen Peck, Director, Marketing
and Public Relations, +1-206-368-1609, or karen.peck@nwhsea.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
https://www.allscripts.com/touchworks
http://www.nwhospital.org /
(MDRX)
CO: Allscripts; Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
ST: Illinois, Washington
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4315 02/12/2007 09:00 EST http://www.prnewswire.com