CURRENT BUZZ
lectronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs) are fast becoming the rage in physicians’ practices. For the clinical laboratory, using an EMR/EHR is a quick, easy, less error-prone way to send patient results to physicians. Laboratories, however, seem to be among the last to embrace this technology. We asked industry leaders to give us the current scoop on how well EMRs and EHRs have been introduced into laboratories and what the near future holds.
What’s the “buzz” on labs and EMRs? E
By Karen Lynn What can a physician do?
“Recent federal programs are increasing the pressure on physicians to get hands-on with electronic lab ordering, such as the recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Signature Rule and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) ‘EMR meaningful-use’ initiatives. This means that lab-outreach solutions must pay closer attention to the physician workfl ow. Often, the physician decides which lab to do business with —
lab ordering/reporting software factors into that decision. From the physician’s perspective, usability translates into a few key questions: Is it easy for me to order lab tests without leaving my familiar EHR? Can my EMR automatically route the order to the right lab depending on my practice’s preference and the patient’s insurance? Whether using an EMR or a Web-based computerized physician order entry (CPOE) program, can I use the same order/review process, regardless of where the test will route? Do I have to spend precious minutes switching applications and navigating through different screens — instead of paying attention to my patient? Lab managers need to consider this perspective carefully when assessing a new or existing lab-outreach system.”
—Pat Wolfram
Vice President, Marketing and Customer Services Ignis Systems Corp.
Provider of EMR-Link for EMR/lab connectivity
HITECH requirements spur quick implementation of EMR interface
“Industry trends this quarter seem to be focusing on facing and overcoming chal- lenges. The big focus is on meaningful use and reimbursements, which just became available as of January 2011.
Labs are trying to keep up with their cli-
ents’ adoption of EMRs. This results in many requests to interface their LIS to different systems. Depending upon the size of the lab’s
customer base, that can literally amount to numbers in the hundreds. The challenge of complex interface mapping schemes can be overcome by the adoption of testing standards, such as LOINC coding, which will help ease and speed the time to connectivity. Keeping up with rapid adoption and the need to implement quickly has caused a backlog of implementations for even the largest EMR vendors, slowing down the process of their customers meeting HITECH Act requirements.”
—Brian Keefe
Clinical Marketing Director Psyche Systems Corp.
Provider of LabWEB and EMR Internet Interface
Assembly-line streamlined, open-interface engine, fast setup time
“The wave of EHRs has approached our industry. Gone are the old days when interfaces were established for only large- volume clients. Now, clients of all sizes are demanding bidirectional EHR interfaces with support for rich report formatting and embedded images. Traditionally, success- ful interfaces were handled by expensive interface engines requiring large teams for implementation and support, and affordable only to large organiza- tions. Today, laboratories cannot successfully market themselves without an appropriate interface strategy that includes smaller clients. We offer an effi cient assembly-line mode of operation and a large library of existing interfaces to address this growing challenge. By utilizing a streamlined process and an open interface engine with a wide array of connectivity and formatting options, our company is reducing average setup time from months to weeks.”
—Suren Avunjian
Vice President, Business Development LigoLab
Provider of diagnostic information systems and outreach solutions
Continues on page 44 42 April 2011 ■ MLO
www.mlo-online.com The trends most travelled
“Two trends will continue over the next 24 to 36 months, each revolving around integration. The fi rst trend is ARRA/Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which is driving increased demand for electronic integration between the EMRs and labora- tory information systems (LIS). As we pre- pare for Stage 2 meaningful-use criteria, there will be an increased need for results in a discrete data format to be transmitted to public-health organizations, Health Information Exchange, and EMRs. The second trend is the evolution of diagnostic disciplines — clinical pathology, anatomic pathology, and molecular — becoming more integrated. Laboratory workfl ow is changing and has a huge impact on how information systems are being used and how they generate discrete information which must be communicated to pro- viders to improve patient healthcare and reduce costs. Disseminating lab results for electronic integration and having products in place to simplify EMR integration for laboratories allows them to benefi t from reduced costs and increased effi ciency.”
—Curt Johnson
Vice President, Sales and Marketing Orchard Software
Provider of Orchard Harvest LIS
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