CHICAGO and GREENWOOD, SC – February 8, 2010 – Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) announced today Self Regional Healthcare (Self) has selected the Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management solution for its 59 employed physicians and as the preferred solution for more than 200 physicians affiliated with the health system.
Self is a major referral and medical center providing advanced healthcare services to a population of more than a quarter of a million people in the Lakelands region of Upstate South Carolina. Licensed for 414 beds, the not-for-profit hospital employs 2,400 health professionals and has a medical staff of more than 200 representing almost every major medical specialty.
Self will offer the Allscripts solution for its affiliated physicians through a turn-key solution that includes hosted delivery over the Internet, a 24-hour help desk, interfaces to ancillary services such as laboratories and radiology, and connections to Self’s hospital information systems. The health system’s offering to independent physicians is intended to help them take advantage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provides between $44,000 and $64,000 for physicians who utilize an Electronic Health Record, beginning in 2011.
“When Self decided to take the electronic health record journey with our employed physicians, it seemed natural to focus on strengthening our relationship with physicians in our community by helping them to implement EHRs and qualify for the stimulus incentives,” said James Pfeiffer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Self. “Our goal is to be as interconnected as possible so we can provide the very best care to our patients, and we are hopeful that a majority of the independent physicians in the Lakelands region will take advantage of our Allscripts offering.”
Allscripts Community Focus
Self, which will replace its existing Electronic Health Record and Practice Management solutions, selected Allscripts for its strong “price-to-value” ratio, and tight integration between its clinical and back-office solutions, noted Chuck McDevitt, the health system’s Chief Information Officer. Allscripts also delivers a focus on community-building that competitors lack, McDevitt added.
“Allscripts came to the table with something completely unique – a clear plan to help us build relationships with our affiliated physicians through the EHR and practice management system, and more experience doing this for major healthcare systems than anyone,” McDevitt said. In addition to helping Self develop its community EHR offering, Allscripts is providing participating physician groups with volume pricing on its Revenue Cycle Management solution – already used by a large percentage of Lakeland physicians.
Another advantage of the Self offering is the ability of physician groups, most of whom lack a dedicated IT support person, to tap into Self’s 56-person IT team when help is needed, said David Isenhower, MD, a physician at Greenwood Ear, Nose & Throat, whose four physicians will implement the Allscripts solution. “Doctors in the Greenwood area have been working toward a cradle-to-grave electronic health record for 10 years but until now the technology hasn’t matched our vision,” Dr. Isenhower said. “We believe the combination of Allscripts and Self Regional Healthcare as our hosting partner is a winning combination that will help doctors here make the transition from paper to EHR in an economically wise fashion, and take advantage of the federal incentives.”
Dr. Isenhower added that Self has built into its standard community contract a binding obligation to keep all clinical and financial data secure and private – putting to rest a concern that sometimes keeps physicians from connecting to hospitals.
