Massachusetts eHealth Institute names e-MDs as EHR vendor and IOO

e-MDs, an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solutions, announced they have been named a selected EHR vendor and Implementation Optimization Organization (IOO) by the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI).  The Institute will serve as a Regional Extension Center (REC) in Massachusetts, working to facilitate the adoption of EHR technology by the state's providers.  As a selected vendor, e-MDs will help ensure effective implementation and provider achievement of Meaningful Use.  

e-MDs was identified through their response to a rigorous RFI process.  MeHI was soliciting well established vendors and systems that would encourage workforce development.  e-MDs met these criteria, also touting ease of use, access to an excellent support team and affordability.  "We share a common vision with MeHI that the HITECH act is a unique opportunity to accelerate the adoption of high quality health information technologies in a cost effective manner," said Michael Stearns, MD, President and CEO of e-MDs.  "These efforts will lead to improvements in the quality and efficiency of healthcare in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

In an effort to conduct a more efficient transition, e-MDs is partnering with the Primary Care Foundation (PCF), an additional MeHI selected Implementation and Optimization Organization, based in western Massachusetts.  The organization will implement and host e-MDs as part of its "HealthLens EHR Platform;" a membership-based solution for private practices that couples EHR hosting with IT management, centralized support, continuing education, and an online community promoting leadership and collaboration between practices.  PCF augments the HealthLens Platform with grant-funded health initiatives, improvement programs, and research opportunities that empower member practices to harness the full potential of their EHR data.  The Foundation also provides a broad slate of e-MDs classes, workshops, and events at the HealthLens Learning Center, located in Northampton, MA.

"We've partnered with e-MDs because the product is tightly aligned with the principles of our organization," said Kyle Homstead, Executive Director of the Primary Care Foundation. "While there are many similarities between today's leading EHRs, most people don't realize that the 'clinical engine' is proprietary and totally unique to each application. Often trivialized, these functional disparities have massive impact at the point-of-care, where overly-simplistic tools can undermine the integrity of a physician's practice.  e-MDs is the only product that we've found with a clinical toolset that effectively supports the cognitive and narrative aspects of medicine, both of which are essential to the delivery of high-quality care."

"Massachusetts has the highest adoption rate of EHRs in the country. Providers in this state are uniquely positioned to move forward with advanced uses of technology such as the capture and use of codified terminology and clinical decision support," stated Michael Stearns, MD, President and CEO of e-MDs.  "It will be a pleasure to work with MeHI on educational and informatics objectives as we move through the more advanced stages of Meaningful Use."

"We are pleased to have e-MDs join our list of selected health IT companies that will help thousands of health care providers across Massachusetts successfully transition to electronic health records," said Rick Shoup, Ph.D., Director of the Massachusetts e-Health Institute.  "Widespread deployment of electronic health records leads to better quality care for patients, reduces health care costs and spurs new jobs in the health care industry."