NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: QSII) and a leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, today announced an agreement with Mercy Health System (MHS) to deploy NextGen® EHR (Electronic Health Record) and NextGensm Health Information Exchange (HIE). The largest Catholic healthcare system serving the Delaware Valley, MHS has been using NextGen Practice Management for nearly four years.
“Automation and enhanced patient care is something we've always worked toward, and the ARRA accelerated our plans in that regard”
Implementation of NextGen EHR began in 2009 at several pilot physician sites, and usability surveys conducted at the first pilot location returned positive results. Clinicians experienced the immediate benefits of standardization and clarity in their data, and increased charge capture in their practices. By the end of 2010, the goal is for the product to be fully implemented across MHS, which consists of 70 providers and 31 locations. NextGen HIE will be implemented starting third quarter 2010. In addition, the organization plans to engage in a beta project to build an interface between NextGen EHR and Keystone Mercy Health Plan so its providers can access payer data through an integrated payer/provider record.
"Automation and enhanced patient care is something we've always worked toward, and the ARRA accelerated our plans in that regard," said Christine Brutschea, CIO for Mercy Health System. "Through use of the integrated NextGen platform, we will be able to leverage care coordination across our enterprise and bring our patients into the process by giving them access to data about their health, education materials and a way to communicate with their physicians. The technology will also enable us to take a leadership role in our community and our state as interoperability, patient-centered medical home and e-prescribing efforts continue to gain momentum."
Featuring pre-built clinical templates and workflow for more than 25 specialties, NextGen EHR provides complete, accurate documentation stored in a standard format. NextGen Healthcare's EHR version 5.6 is a CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR, additionally certified for Child Health and Cardiovascular Medicine with Advanced Reporting.
Offering a single-point connection for each participant in a community "hub," NextGen HIE eliminates the need for organizations to invest in the development of multiple point-to-point interfaces to share discrete clinical data, including lab or test results, ER visits, referrals, medications and allergies. The product enables organizations to exchange this data even if they do not have an EHR system, resulting in truer continuity of care and advanced adoption of the patient-centered "medical home" model - a team-based, virtual network of doctors, nurses, and other providers that share information and responsibility for a patient to better coordinate his or her medical care.
"Achieving a true 'Patient-Centered Medical Home' requires a transformational shift in thinking, from reactive to proactive care," said Scott Decker, president of NextGen Healthcare. "NextGen Healthcare has a proven track record for helping healthcare organizations use technology to realize this designation, and we're confident our platform will provide the tools needed to empower MHS' providers and patients."
For organizations seeking to take advantage of ARRA stimulus payments, NextGen Healthcare has produced educational resources for providers and established a Grants Resources Center to help clients identify and apply for related grant opportunities. The company provides a Money-Back Guarantee Program to assure the NextGen EHR solution will always evolve to meet the requirements for federal stimulus reimbursement programs.
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