Providers

Greenway Customers Profit Through PQRS Quality Reporting

Dec 8, 2010 2:23pm

Cardiology Practice Gains $70,000 ROI by Submitting Through Greenway Registry

CARROLLTON, Ga., Dec. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Customers of Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc. utilizing clinical data compilation and exchange provided by Greenway's electronic health record, practice management and interoperability solution PrimeSUITE® have experienced successful year-end incentive fund capture through the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The clinical data measurements and reporting functions required by PQRS mirror those of meaningful use and electronic prescribing incentives being offered to physician practices, as well as pending accountable care organization (ACO) initiatives.

"We are very pleased at Greenway® that our customers are relaying to us the achievement of incentive funds, and we have been confident in their ability to do so across many family and specialty practices," said President and CEO Tee Green. "The emergence and future of quality reporting incentive programs are important aspects of achieving an improved and more sustainable healthcare system that positively impacts patient health. PQRS, meaningful use and accountable care speak to the same evolution in quality patient care, and Greenway is dedicated to offering industry-leading technology for providers choosing to participate."

Begun as the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) pilot program in 2007, CMS solidified it into the permanent PQRS program in November of this year. PQRS provides a percentage bonus on all Medicare Part B allowable claims submitted by practices matched with up to three quality reporting clinical care measurements selected from up to 179 measures and 13 measure groups.

The PQRS evolution allows submission per provider or per group practice, and requires only a one-time data submission at a six- or 12-month time frame, with data transmission via a CMS-approved registry or a fully qualified electronic health record.

"Greenway is a CMS-approved registry for PQRS, and PrimeSUITE is a fully qualified EHR for PQRS reporting as well, which allows practices to select the best reporting method from those CMS recognizes," said Green. "Once a practice selects its quality reporting measurements, Greenway's technology can extract, compile and send the data, so practice managers and staff do not have to code or track the allowable claims."

Birmingham Heart Clinic, a nine-provider cardiology practice in Birmingham, Ala., selected measures focusing on the use of antiplatelet or beta blocker therapy for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) or those with CAD and prior myocardial infarction, respectively. The practice submitted through the Greenway registry option for its allowable patient volume, and received $70,000 from CMS this fall, according to Business Administrator William Sester.

"Our practice improved the quality of care through this program," said Sester, who said this was accomplished through the establishment of clinical alerts within PrimeSUITE to identify and assure that patients were receiving the regimen. "There was very minimal work required by the practice. We established our nine providers on the registry site and Greenway did the bulk of the work. We have every intention of continuing with these programs and we have every ambition of achieving meaningful use. We want to be one of the first practices to capture meaningful use funds in 2011."

According to Sester, his practice sees the practicality of the convergence of incentive programs. "Although the exact future of healthcare economics is unclear, practices that report quality measures and strategically focus on improving patient care will benefit the most. If a grading process is on the horizon, we're using technology to help us be better doctors. There is a future of physician practices working very closely with hospitals, be it the ACO or medical home models. For more teamwork between IPAs and hospitals to occur, there will have to be incentives. When doctors have a financial stake in the process, it will have results."

Palmetto Tri-County Internal Medicine of Lancaster, S.C. received a CMS payment of $27,000 this fall by reporting six allowable measures per its six providers, according to Practice Administrator Kathy Sistare.

Mound Family Practice in Miamisburg, Ohio has reported to the program since its inception in 2007, and as of the latest reporting period, had received nearly $10,000 through a single prevention and care measure focusing on its diabetic patients, according to Practice Administrator Sue Ellen Strassburger. "We have been profitable in the program every year, and plan to expand our participation to all of our doctors and protocols that PQRS is looking at. This program is extremely easy."

About Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc.

Greenway Medical Technologies provides innovative EHR, ambulatory healthcare and clinical research business solutions and services to more than 23,000 healthcare providers nationwide, in 31 specialties and subspecialties, by enhancing the delivery of patient care through advanced health IT software and on-demand services that allow physician practices to function at their highest level of efficiency in group practice, IDN, REC, HIE, IPA, Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) settings. Established in 1998, Carrollton, Ga.-based Greenway is a privately held company with more than 400 employees.

About PrimeSUITE 2011 Meaningful Use Certification

PrimeSUITE® 2011 is an ONC-ATCB Complete EHR. The 2011/2012 criteria supports the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This Complete EHR is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments. PrimeSUITE 2011 was certified on October 14, 2010, certification number CC-1112-699072-1 for clinical quality measures NQF 0421, 0013, 0028, 0041, 0024, 0038, 0031, 0032 and 0034.

Review complete details of PrimeSUITE 2011's meaningful use certification on CCHIT and ONC websites: http://www.cchit.org/get_certified/ONC-ATCB-Certified-2011-2012 and http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert.

For more information about Greenway, visit http://www.greenwaymedical.com. You can also follow developments at Greenway through online and social media:


Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in the press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting the Company's operations, markets, services and related products, prices, and other factors.

SOURCE Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc.