SIS Anesthesia Version 5 receives Drummond Group's ONC-ATCB certification

Surgical Information Systems (SIS), a leader in perioperative information systems, announced today that SIS Anesthesia Version 5 has been certified to meet 2011/2012 Stage 1 meaningful use measures as a modular Electronic Health Record (EHR). The designation officially deems the electronic health record (EHR) software capable of enabling providers to qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Tested and certified under the Drummond Group's Electronic Health Records Office of the National Coordinator Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) program, the EHR software is 2011/2012 compliant in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  

"Anesthesia providers are currently being challenged in various capacities including reimbursement changes, increased regulatory reporting and meaningful use," says Ed Daihl, CEO of Surgical Information Systems. "SIS is fiercely committed to ensuring our solution is able to help anesthesia providers respond and prepare for each of these.   SIS Anesthesia's certification as a modular EHR is one more proof point, enabling our AIMS to help anesthesia providers benefit from ARRA funding. In addition, the combination of our intuitive AIMS combined with anesthesia-specific analytics is exactly what the market needs to survive these changes."

Drummond Group's ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that EHRs meet the meaningful use criteria for either eligible provider or hospital technology. In turn, healthcare providers using the EHR systems of certified vendors are qualified to receive federal stimulus monies upon demonstrating meaningful use of the technology -- a key component of the federal government's push to improve clinical care delivery through the adoption and effective use of EHRs by U.S. healthcare providers.

SIS Anesthesia, which met the requirements for a modular EHR is an anesthesia information management system (AIMS) exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association. The solution assists anesthesiologists with their goals to improve care quality and financial performance.

The Drummond Group certified SIS Anesthesia for the following criteria:

• Patient Demographics.  Enable anesthesia providers to record changes or updates to patient Information.
• Medication Allergy List.  Provide anesthesia providers within the electronic ability to generate and maintain an active medication allergy list.
• Smoking Status.  Anesthesia providers can capture the smoking status for those patients 13 years or older.     
• Electronic Copy of Discharge Instructions.  Upon request, provide patients with an electronic copy of hospital discharge instructions.
• Privacy and Security of Patient Data in the EHR.  Provide the means for facilities to implement functionality for access control, emergency access, automatic logoff, audit logs and authentication in support of implementing systems that support protecting the privacy and security of patient data.
• Drug formulary checks.  A standardized drug formulary enables anesthesia to accurately record drug administration with drug\allergy and drug\drug indicators.
• Advance Directives.  Provide anesthesia providers with the ability to electronically record whether patients 65 years or older have an advance directive."

"The need to leverage information technology in the healthcare industry is huge – as the quality of care and efficiency benefits that come with computerization can really make a difference in the overall patient experience. We're ready to help transform the industry by providing the sophisticated software testing services that ensure that vendors and hospitals are offering systems that are capable of meeting the meaningful use standards required to obtain incentive funds as well as the rich functionality required to move the clinical care needle forward," says Rik Drummond, CEO of the Drummond Group. "We have been testing software for more than a decade and are ready to leverage our extensive experience handling sophisticated systems in complex industries as well as dealing with complicated technical issues such as interoperability and security."