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Todays Topics

1. Nuance releases Dragon Dictation Application iPhone
2. CCHIT Announces Proposed ARRA Incentive Requirements
3. Cielo MedSolutions has announced a new partnership with DrFirst
4. e-Prescribing Solution Comply with 2009 Regulatory Requirements

Category: EHR Matters
Date: December 9, 2009
Views:2,087 views
Information:

Dragon Dictation, from the company Nuance, is now available as an iPhone application. Nuance is the developer of Dragon Naturally Speaking for the PC and MacSpeech Dictate on the Mac platform.




This new voice recognition application will allow one to dictate messages and emails and send them directly through an iPhone. When messages are recorded, they are quickly transmitted to Nuance servers where a speech recognition algorithm is run against the data. The resulting text is returned to the iPhone within seconds.

As for security, Nuance has stated:

“All speech recognition requests and associated data are processed in data centers in the U.S. that meet stringent security and privacy standards; these are the same standards that we use for processing private information in other areas of our business."




The application is now available for download. For a limited time, the iPhone Dragon Dictation application is free, however; there may be a charge for it in the future. The future may also hold more specialized applications of this technology, such as in the legal and medical professions.

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology has announced the first group of products certified for use with the proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) incentive requirements.

The 2011 Comprehensive and Preliminary ARRA certification programs inspect electronic health record technology for the first time against proposed federal standards to support providers in qualifying for 2011-2012 incentives under ARRA. CCHIT has had about 25 applications for its 2011 programs and inspections are continuing. 

Compared to the Preliminary ARRA certification program, the CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive program provides a more rigorous inspection of integrated EHR functionality, interoperability and security. As part of the Comprehensive inspection process, the EHR is evaluated for full compliance with federal standards; its key aspects of successful use are verified at live sites; and usability is rated.

One product has been certified in the CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive program: ABELMed EHR-EMR/PM, version 11, by ABEL Medical Software, Inc.

The Preliminary ARRA 2011 program is a modular, limited certification and inspects technology only against the federal standards. The products certified in the Preliminary ARRA 2011 program are:

1. eHealth Made EASY, version 3, by eHealth Made EASY, LLC, supporting two of 27 meaningful use objectives for eligible providers and two of 24 objectives for hospitals;
KIS Track, version 5.1, by Kaulkin Information Systems, supporting two of 27 objectives for eligible providers; and
2. Medios, version 4.5, by IOS Health Systems, supporting all 27 objectives for eligible providers.

The ARRA certification component of both programs is still preliminary because the definitions of 'meaningful use,' as well as criteria and standards, aren’t expected to be approved by HHS until January 2010. Once the final rules are published in the Federal Register, Healthcare IT companies will be able to alter their software to correct any identified shortcomings.

Cielo MedSolutions has announced a new partnership with DrFirst to provide comprehensive e-prescribing functionality to practices using the company's Cielo Clinic quality management system. The fully integrated e-prescribing solution will enable customers to improve prescribing safety and medical practice efficiency.

Cielo Clinic users will now be able to easily and securely submit electronic prescriptions from the point of care to any retail or mail-order pharmacy. At the same time, they will be able to access comprehensive clinical information for each patient and complete Cielo Clinic's care reminders.

The joint e-prescribing solution will comply with the 2009 regulatory requirements issued by The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Additionally, customers using the solution will increase safety and efficiency through eliminating illegible prescriptions, issuing faster prescriptions, and experiencing dramatic reductions in calls and faxes between the medical office and the pharmacy.