Practice Maximus™ EHR certified for Medicare incentive program
October 6, 2011Cincinnati, Ohio-based Diversified Ophthalmics has announced that an electronic health records (EHR) module for its Practice Maximus™ practice management software system has been certified for use in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) incentive programs.
The certified EHR will be included as part of Practice Maximus™ Version 6, the latest edition of the popular practice management software package, according to the company.
Practitioners who already have Practice Maximus™ systems in their offices will receive the new EHR module as an upgrade option at no charge, the company said.
The Practice Maximus™ EHR was certified as a complete EHR system, acceptable for use in the federal EHR incentive program, on June 9, 2011, by Drummond Group Inc., an Office of the National Coordinator – Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCB).
The Practice Maximus™ EHR provides all the functions necessary to meet the HHS’ Stage 1 EHR utilization criteria (known as the “meaningful use” standards).
Under the federal incentive program, which began Jan. 3, 2011, eligible health care practitioners can qualify for up to $44,000 in payments through Medicare ($48,400 in federally designated health profession shortage areas) over the course of the five-year program, by implementing EHR systems that have been certified for use in the program and meeting the meaningful use standards.
To qualify for incentives during their first year in the program, practitioners must report compliance with the standards over a 90-day period.
Practitioners who do so during 2011 or 2012 can earn up to $18,000 during their first year in the program.
Practice Maximus™ is a Windows-based software system. Its EHR module utilizes DrFirst’s pharmaceutical e-prescribing portal and DropBox Internet file-sharing system. It is at least the 10th optometric EHR program to be certified for use in the federal incentive program (see below).
Established in 1977 by a group of independent eye care practitioners, Diversified Ophthalmics, Inc. offers a cooperative purchasing group, ophthalmic laboratories and other practitioner services.
For a limited time, Diversified will make Practice Maximus™ software, with the certified EHR component, available at substantial discounts to its purchasing group members who meet minimum monthly order requirements as well as to qualifying ophthalmic laboratory customers, according to a company spokesperson.
For additional information, see the Diversified Ophthalmics Web site (www.divopt.com).
Certified EHR systems for optometrists
- Compulink – Advantage/EHR 10
- Crystal Practice Management – Crystal Practice Management 3
- Diversified Ophthalmics – Practice Maximus Version 6
- EMRlogic Systems, activEHR™ 2011.1
- Eyefinity – OfficeMate/ExamWRITER 10.0
- First Insight Corp – MaximEyes SQL Electronic Health Records 1.1.0.0
- Health Innovation Technologies, Inc. – RevolutionEHR 5.1.0
- Medflow Electronic Health Records (EHR) Version 7.6
- QuikEyes, Inc. – QuikEyes Version 11.0
- Williams Group – Practice Director Version 4.0
AOA members can access online demonstrations for most of the above listed systems on the AOA Web site EHR page (www.aoa.org/ehr).
