As First Behavioral Healthcare Software Provider to Attain Complete ONC-ATCB ARRA-Certified Electronic Health Record, Netsmart Will Demonstrate Functionality That Earned Certification
GREAT RIVER, N.Y., Dec. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Netsmart Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of software and services for health and human services organizations, will host two upcoming Web seminars to help existing and potential new Netsmart customers learn how they can take immediate action to qualify for valuable Meaningful Use incentive dollars.
A proven leader in Meaningful Use technology, Netsmart's Avatar™ 2011 electronic health record (EHR) software recently achieved 100 percent ARRA ONC-ATCB ambulatory and inpatient certification, making Netsmart the first behavioral healthcare software provider to offer a complete ONC-ATCB ARRA-Certified EHR both for Eligible Professionals (EPs) and Hospital incentives.
Web seminars will be held at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 for current Netsmart customers, and at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 for organizations that are considering a new EHR or concerned about the future ARRA certification of their current vendor's EHR. Both programs will provide a look at the clinical and practice management functionality of Avatar software that passed the independent, vendor-neutral ARRA certification tests and how that maps to the criteria needed for providers to enhance clinical care, meet Meaningful Use and qualify for incentive funds. The Jan. 11 Web seminar will focus on the specific functionality of the Netsmart products used to achieve certification, and requires a baseline knowledge of Avatar. The Jan. 19 Web seminar will include a general overview of various Netsmart solutions that relate to Meaningful Use.
Both seminars will include the Avatar practice management and electronic health record in addition to the Connect solutions suite that provides e-prescribing capabilities, HIE Connectivity and a consumer Web portal – all related to requirements for Meaningful Use.
Registration and additional information is available at http://www.ntst.com/certwebseminar
Registered participants will also receive a free Excel Meaningful Use Planning Tool that shows how to chart their organization's path to Meaningful Use compliance with Netsmart solutions, including Avatar 2011 and the Connect suite of InfoScriber™/Order Connect, Netsmart CareConnect™ and Netsmart ConsumerConnect™.
"It's important that organizations select the right technology partner for their Meaningful Use journey," said James L. Conway, chief executive officer, Netsmart Technologies. "At Netsmart, we are committed to being a single-source Meaningful Use technology partner, providing all the solutions needed to help customers meet all Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria. Our leadership in this area shows the action behind that commitment. We're not just promising customers what we'll do for them in the future regarding Meaningful Use; our Avatar 2011 software is completely certified today."
Working with a single source partner is critical to an organization's success. Organizations that select a single, totally certified partner like Netsmart can avoid a painful multi-year process. It is the responsibility of provider organizations that do not select a single source partner to select products from multiple vendors and assemble their version of a solution that meets all certification criteria, including training staff on multiple components of software. That organization would then need to apply with the ONC for a unique Meaningful Use Code (to receive incentive payments) and demonstrate continued compliance on an ongoing basis.
Complete certification is an advantage in states that allow providers to receive the first year of Meaningful Use funding for simply adopting a certified EHR under the "Adopt/Implement/Use" provision of the Meaningful Use Final Rule. This means providers that purchase Avatar products or a Netsmart customer that upgrades to the latest release of Avatar and Connect products could be eligible to receive Meaningful Use incentive funds while implementing the software.
In addition to its Avatar products, Netsmart is working to prepare the CMHC/MIS behavioral health and Insight™ public health software products for ARRA certification in 2011. These three enterprise software products, in conjunction with Netsmart's order entry, e-prescribing, consumer Web portal and health information exchange (HIE) interoperability technology, will help behavioral and public health provider organizations take advantage of the significant funding provided for the Meaningful Use of EHRs.
In addition to funding opportunities, the use of EHR technology can also improve quality of care, advance patient safety, increase customer satisfaction and enhance office efficiency. Facilities and practices using a certified EHR may also experience increased profitability through reduced costs and increased revenue.
To learn more about how Netsmart can help behavioral health and public health organizations qualify for Meaningful Use incentives, visit www.ntst.com/meaningfuluse.
About Netsmart Technologies, Inc.
Netsmart Technologies is an established, leading supplier of enterprise software and software as a service (SaaS) solutions for health and human services providers. More than 18,000 customer organizations, including 350,000 care providers and 40 state systems, use Netsmart products to help improve the quality of life for millions of people each year.
Netsmart customers include mental health and substance abuse treatment agencies, psychiatric hospitals, private and group mental health practices, public health departments, vital records offices and managed care organizations. Netsmart's products are full-featured information systems that operate on a variety of operating systems, hardware platforms, and mobile devices, and offer unlimited scalability.
Netsmart provides expertise and solutions that help its customers meet all the criteria for "meaningful use" of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. These include experience in electronic health record certification, the InfoScriber™ e-prescribing service, the Netsmart CareConnect™ service that enables the sharing of clinical information through health information exchanges, the Netsmart ConsumerConnect™ Web portal to provide consumer access to their care information, and a flexible platform to capture and share outcomes data. Netsmart customers can utilize Netsmart solutions to meet all Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria, avoiding the costly and time-consuming process of integrating solutions from multiple vendors.
Netsmart's Avatar 2011 software is the first EHR in behavioral healthcare to pass all ARRA Certification tests, earning a Certificate of EHR Compliance for Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria and becoming fully certified for Ambulatory (Eligible Professional incentives) and Inpatient (Hospital incentives).
For information about Netsmart Technologies' full range of solutions for health and human services organizations, visit www.ntst.com or call 1-800-472-5509.
Avatar 2011 is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by the Drummond Group, 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.
Avatar, InfoScriber, Netsmart CareConnect and Netsmart ConsumerConnect and Insight are trademarks of Netsmart Technologies, Inc.
SOURCE Netsmart Technologies, Inc.