CCHIT certifies Eclipsys’ PeakPractice EMR/PM solution

Eclipsys Corporation® (NASDAQ:ECLP), The Outcomes Company®, today announced that the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) has listed its PeakPractice™ solution (version 1093) a CCHIT Certified® 08 Ambulatory electronic health record (EHR), and meets the Certification Commission’s EHR criteria for office-based use. Ambulatory EHRs are designed for physician offices and clinics where most American’s obtain their healthcare. CCHIT—a private, nonprofit organization—is a recognized certification body in the United States for certifying health information technology products.

Eclipsys’ PeakPractice is an integrated, award-winning, .NET-based ambulatory electronic medical record (EMR)/practice management (PM) solution that includes e-prescribing, patient kiosk, supply chain management, image management and Web portals for physicians and patients. The EMR/PM solution enables practices to gain full control over both sides of their business, focusing on the financial health and operational excellence while promoting highest-quality patient care. The solution is one aspect of Eclipsys’ enterprise portfolio of offerings that support connecting community-based practices with acute-care hospital and healthcare systems.

PeakPractice will be on display at the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) 2009 Annual Conference in Denver, CO, Oct. 11-14, Eclipsys Booth No. 1739.

“Two key new areas of interoperability are required to achieve ’08 certification,” said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., chair, CCHIT. “First, ambulatory EHRs must be capable of advanced electronic prescribing functions so physicians can qualify for bonuses under Medicare’s new incentive program. Second, EHRs must be able to send and receive an electronic patient summary. These and other new criteria will ensure that certified health IT solutions help improve quality, safety and efficiency while protecting the privacy of health information.”

In the third year of the program’s operation, the criteria and testing have been significantly updated again to provide physicians with more assurance that certified products will meet their needs for functionality, interoperability and security. CCHIT added 19 criteria to the 200 required in 2007. Those changes were focused on the ability to exchange patient information with other systems. A CCHIT Certified 08 Ambulatory EHR ensures:

• Use of standard formats to exchange basic patient information for continuity of care.
• Enhanced ability to view X-rays and other diagnostic images.
• Better management of patient consents and authorizations.
• Increased use of standard formats when receiving and storing laboratory results.

As a CCHIT Certified product, PeakPractice has been tested and passed inspection of 100 percent of these new criteria.

“As CCHIT is an inevitable certifying bodies for ensuring alignment with the ‘meaningful use’ requirements of the ARRA-HITECH Act, having full CCHIT certification status should give physicians confidence in choosing our PeakPractice Solution to manage the quality, safety and efficiency aspects of their practice, while realizing stimulus payment benefits,” said Jay Deady, Eclipsys’ executive vice president of Client Solutions. “CCHIT certification represents an important milestone for our community solution strategy, which connects community-based practices with acute-care hospitals and healthcare systems.”

The CCHIT Certified “seal of approval” for EHR products provides a consensus-based, government-recognized benchmark for ambulatory EHR products. By looking to products with the CCHIT Certified seal, physicians and other providers can reduce their risk in selecting an EHR product, allowing them to focus their evaluation on the special needs of their practices.