Cardiology Associates of Mobile Selects Allscripts for Electronic Health Record

CHICAGO and MOBILE, Ala., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) announced today that Cardiology Associates of Mobile, Inc. (Cardiology Associates) has selected the Allscripts Electronic Health Record  (EHR) for its 38 providers to enhance the quality of patient care, improve patient communications, and better manage the cost of care delivery.  The purchase expands Cardiology Associates existing relationship with Allscripts; the group has been using the Allscripts Practice Management (PM) solution since 2007, and the Allscripts Document Management solution since 2008.

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Cardiology Associates is an association of clinical, invasive and interventional cardiologists committed to providing the highest-quality cardiac care to adults and children in the Gulf Coast region of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. The group's 28 physicians and 10 midlevel providers are expert in the treatment, diagnosis, management and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.  Thanks in part to its Allscripts solutions, Cardiology Associates ranks among the top groups in the country in productivity according to annual survey data from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and from MedAxiom, a network of over 300 cardiology groups consisting of 5,400 physicians from around the nation.

"While Allscripts has been a great partner on the practice management and document management side of our business, we selected them for our electronic health record because they're clearly the leaders in the cardiology space," said Vance Chunn, Chief Executive Officer and Administrator of Cardiology Associates.  "We also expect the EHR field will narrow substantially over the next several years and we wanted a partner with staying power who had the resources to supply a product that continues to meet the government's 'meaningful use' criteria, along with innovations that help us deliver the highest quality care in the most cost-effective manner possible."  

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is currently finalizing the "meaningful use" conditions physicians must meet to qualify for Electronic Health Record incentive payments authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Physicians using a certified Electronic Health Record can qualify for between $44,000 and $64,000 in incentive payments beginning in 2011.

Chunn added that the group's physicians liked the Allscripts user-friendly interface and the product's ability to seamlessly integrate the clinical and business aspects of the practice.  

"Cardiology Associates is a great example of the many physician groups who have used our practice management system for years and now see the opportunity to move to the next level with our electronic health record without having to replace their existing system or start from scratch," said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts.  "Their physicians also recognize the new federal stimulus package will provide an offset to the cost of the electronic health record while allowing them to deliver even better care, and that's saying a lot for this well respected practice."

The Allscripts Electronic Health Record and Practice Management solution for cardiology practices is an easy-to-deploy, physician-centric solution that improves the delivery of safe, cost-effective, high-quality care.  The Electronic Health Record provides caregivers instant and secure access to the complete patient record anytime and anywhere, while automating everyday clinical tasks and connecting physicians to pharmacies, laboratories and other healthcare stakeholders. The Practice Management solution improves the productivity of administrative staff, simplifies patient record keeping, streamlines billing and improves cash flow, with the industry's most user-friendly interface and extensible design.

The Allscripts Document Management solution, a first step towards a full Electronic Health Record, is a proven medical document management solution used by more than 18,000 healthcare professionals throughout the U.S.

About Cardiology Associates

Cardiology Associates provides coordinated and integrated comprehensive heart services including pediatric cardiology, adult clinical, invasive and interventional cardiology, preventive cardiology, electrophysiology and the treatment of heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, cholesterol and lipid disorders. Cardiology Associates is committed to improving access to cardiovascular care, decreasing mortality due to heart disease and enhancing the quality of life for all residents in South Alabama as well as the Mississippi and Florida Gulf Coasts. Cardiology Associates operates offices in Mobile, Fairhope and Foley, Ala. and outreach clinics in Atmore, Bay Minette, Chatom, Jackson, and Orange Beach, Ala. and Lucedale, Miss.  For more information, visit www.cardassoc.com.

About Allscripts

Allscripts uses innovation technology to bring health to healthcare. More than 160,000 physicians, 800 hospitals and nearly 8,000 post-acute and homecare organizations utilize Allscripts to improve the health of their patients and their bottom line. The company's award-winning solutions include electronic health records, electronic prescribing, revenue cycle management, practice management, document management, care management, emergency department information systems and homecare automation. Allscripts is the brand name of Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions, Inc. To learn more, visit www.allscripts.com.

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SOURCE Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions, Inc.