MedInformatix Inc. announced that its Electronic Health Records (EHR) is among the industry's first to achieve certification under the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)' Office of National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT's Stage 1 meaningful use under provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Austin, Texas-based Drummond Group Inc., one of the first organizations that ONC has ordained as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB) of EMR products, has certified that MedInformatix technology is capable of supporting Eligible Professionals (EPs) efforts to achieve meaningful IT use goals and objectives. "Meaningful use," under Federal Government financial incentive programs, requires IT to enhance healthcare quality, patient safety, improve outcomes and lower costs.

Drummond tested the MedInformatix EMR this October, approving the software and listing it on HHS' Certified Health IT Products Listing (CHPL). "Many of the EMR system's capabilities required for ONC certification were already included in our product," said Michele Jones, MedInformatix' Director of Marketing. "This includes the system's ability to perform HL7 lab interfacing and the e-Prescribing (eRx) module, which enables practices to more quickly and accurately communicate with pharmacies."

"To achieve certification, we added some additional features and modified some formats, which took place over a several month period," Jones said. "We are beginning to implement these changes for existing EMR clients, enabling them to achieve meaningful use and be eligible to earn sizeable financial benefits."

EPs participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs and leveraging products such as MedInformatix' fully integrated EMR solution to meet ONC criteria, receive incentive payments of as much as $44,000 per provider over 5 years when their medical facilities implement certified technology by 2012. Total annual incentives de-escalate for practices that implement the technology in both 2013 and 2014; professionals that fail to comply with meaningful use provisions by 2015 face financial penalties in the form of reimbursement reductions.

Stage 1 of the meaningful use provision primarily focuses on electronic data capture, like that facilitated by MedInformatix' eRx module. Subsequent requirements under Stages 2 and 3 will address additional information exchange capabilities, overall quality, safety, efficiency and improvements in the US population's overall health.

"MedInformatix plans to implement all the new EMR system enhancements for existing users and new clients in time for them to take full advantage of the incentive payments", Jones said. Subsequent versions of the software will include all modifications required for meaningful use certification as necessary for Stage 2 and 3.

MedInformatix, Inc. is a leading national provider of fully integrated Electronic Health Records. The products have been built around 25 years of workflow expertise. It suites of products are designed on a single database using Microsoft SQL. Whether the client is a single physician who went live in 1994, a 13-location cardiology practice, the busiest radiology practice in Manhattan, or one of 15 other specialties it services, and it accommodates their needs.