September 5, 2007 - Clinical software maker Allscripts said Columbia University Medical Center in New York City has selected Allscripts as its electronic health record provider for its outpatient physician group and planned community-based Independent Practice Association.
The agreement is the largest in Allscripts. Columbia University Medical Center provides leadership in scientific research and patient care, and its College of Physicians and Surgeons is consistently ranked one of the top medical schools in the nation.
“Columbia’s physicians and surgeons have a long history of world-class leadership in research, education and patient care, and an investment in electronic health records is the latest example of our core commitment to high-quality and to patient and family-friendly medical care,” said Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice-president for health and biomedical sciences and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine at Columbia. “By automating and connecting our physicians, we hope to have a positive impact on our ability to deliver true continuity of care for our patients and enhance our ability to deliver important breakthroughs in clinical research in a timely fashion.”
The Web-based electronic health record from Allscripts will automate everyday clinical tasks such as prescribing medications and documenting patient visits, while electronically connecting physicians, residents and support staff. The electronic health record will allow Columbia's physicians to access patient information anywhere at anytime and provide robust tools for documentation and orders. Additionally, the electronic health record includes preloaded connections to a wide range of medical devices, seamless support for pay-for-performance and quality initiatives, and one of the most advanced clinical research support systems in the industry. And the Allscripts iHealth module provides an online personal health record service that Columbia patients will be able to use to schedule appointments, access treatment adherence programs, and arrange online consultations with their own clinician. Implementation of the system is scheduled to begin in 2008.
“We are extremely proud that Columbia University Medical Center, one of the most prestigious healthcare institutions in the world today, selected Allscripts as their electronic health information partner," said Glen Tullman, CEO of Allscripts. “This technology, through the real-time information and connectivity it provides, allows physicians to focus on patients, not paperwork, and deliver a seamless, high quality patient experience."
"This is an important step to enhance the quality of patient care by facilitating access to clinical information for patients and their physicians," said Richard U. Levine, M.D., president of Columbia's physician group. "We, as is the case with major medical centers, have complex information sharing needs and this investment should allow our health care providers to interact in a flexible and coordinated way."
Although Columbia is implementing the electronic health record system principally for physician outpatient offices, Allscripts will interface to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital inpatient clinical information system. This will enable physicians and staff in Columbia's faculty practice to have access to key clinical information on each patient including the medication history, problem list, allergies, and hospital notes. Plans also include integrating the Allscripts solution with other critical information systems across the medical center, in physician offices and in outpatient clinics.
Allscripts also will connect the electronic health record with the IDX/GE Centricity practice management system used by Columbia's faculty practice organization. Linking the clinical and financial information systems will help Columbia's physicians and practice administrators to streamline billing and insurance reimbursement practices.
For more information: www.allscripts.com