Industry Spotlight: 'Meaningful Use' the MEDITECH Way -- Part II

By: Donna Carroll, Editor

Last month, I wrote about my impressions of MEDITECH Inc.'s seminar entitled “ARRA/Meaningful Use Enhancement Training” which I attended in January 2011.  As I mentioned in Part I of this article, I found the seminar well-presented and informative.

MEDITECH has now received complete EHR inpatient certification under the Drummond Group's Electronic Health Records Office of the National Coordinator, Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) for its three major HCIS versions: MAGIC, Client Server, and 6.0.  This means that hospitals running MEDITECH's certified solutions have the software tools needed to meet the Stage 1 Meaningful Use measures required to qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).   Or, do they?

While it’s true that MEDITECH has received EHR certification, it’s important to know that Drummond Group’s ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tested and certified each platform as a COMPLETE inpatient EHR system.

I heard through the grapevine from more than one attendee of the HIMSS11 conference that MEDITECH announced they were in the process of pursuing modular EHR certification for their software products.

As many customers are hoping this information to be true, I called MEDITECH Inc. to obtain confirmation of this 'rumor'.   I spoke with Paul Berthiaume, Manager of Public Relations, who stated: "MEDITECH expects to make an official announcement [about EHR modular certification] in the coming days.”  Although I inquired exactly when and where we will find this 'official announcement', I did not receive any specific details.

So, my recommendation to all interested parties is to check the MEDITECH website often for news of such certifications.   Of course, I'll be sure to deliver the news here in a future issue of The MEDITECH Community Bulletin.  Stay tuned...

3/2/2011 Article Update:  I just found this on MEDITECH's website.  The following is a screenshot from a presentation that was delivered by Melissa Swanfeldt, Director of Marketing Support at MEDITECH, Inc.  The presentation was part of MEDITECH's Next Steps for Health Care Education Session at HIMSS11 in Orlando.

- Donna Carroll, Editor, The MEDITECH Community Bulletin