Webinar features recent updates on meaningful use of certified EHR systems

Community oncologists, practice administrators and clinical staff interested in learning how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), otherwise known as the stimulus package, can affect health care IT plans for community-based oncology practices are invited to attend a free webinar at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST) on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010. To register, visit www.MyOncologyServices.com/HIT. Registration is free, but space is limited.

To encourage adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems, ARRA offers physicians the potential to earn up to $44,000 in incentives over a five-year period when they demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHRs. In this webinar, Peter Harrison, M.D., manager of physician products at iKnowMed(TM), an oncology-specific EHR supported by US Oncology, Inc., joins Matt Brow, vice president of Corporate Communications & Government Relations for US Oncology, and Cindy Chavez, vice president of iKnowMed(TM) to discuss recent updates regarding the rules for meaningful use, EHR certification requirements, and their effect on Medicare Health Information Technology (HIT) incentives. Based on their collective years of experience in the community-based oncology industry, the speakers will offer their perspective on how these standards should be set and applied to oncology practices.

Dr. Harrison hosts a bi-weekly meeting of oncology EHR vendors to discuss common certification issues among its members including people from US Oncology's iKnowMed(TM), Varian's ARIA, Elekta/Impac's MOSAIQ, and Altos' OncoEMR. He also attends the HIT Policy Committee and HIT Standards Committee meetings, as well as the calls for the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT). Dr. Harrison is an active member in the HL7 EHR System Functional Model work group, currently defining version 2.0 requirements and compliance criteria, and of the workgroup defining the HL7 EHR-S FM profile for stand-alone electronic prescribing.

US Oncology offers free webinars through its Oncology Practice Education Series designed to provide community-based oncology practices with information and education to help them successfully negotiate today's cancer care environment. The company is well aligned with more than 1,300 oncologists from across the nation and is active in all relevant health care initiatives and in pursuing legislation that supports the delivery of quality cancer care in the community. US Oncology is dedicated to providing the industry with timely and important information about current legislation changes that will impact its network and community-based oncology overall.