Silk Information Systems' Silk V 4.2 Receives 08 CCHIT Certification

March 17, 2009 - PRLog -- The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) today announced that Silk Information Systems’ product Silk V 4.2 is a CCHIT Certified® 08 Ambulatory EHR, and meets the Certification Commission’s electronic health record (EHR) criteria for office-based use. Ambulatory EHRs are designed for physician offices and clinics where most Americans get their healthcare. The Commission – a private, nonprofit organization – is the Recognized Certification Body in the United States for certifying health information technology products.  
“Two key new areas of interoperability are required to achieve 08 certification,” said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., Chair, CCHIT. "First, ambulatory EHRs must be capable of advanced electronic prescribing functions so physicians can qualify for bonuses under Medicare’s new incentive program.  Second, EHRs must be able to send and receive an electronic patient summary.  These and other new criteria will ensure that certified health IT products help improve quality, safety and efficiency while protecting the privacy of health information.”  
In the third year of the program’s operation, the criteria and testing have been significantly updated again to provide physicians with more assurance that certified products will meet their needs for  functionality, interoperability and security. The Commission added 19 criteria to the 200 required in 2007. Those changes were focused on the ability to exchange patient information with other systems. A CCHIT Certified 08 Ambulatory EHR ensures:
•   Additional electronic prescribing features:  access to the patient’s medication history, formulary, and eligibility.
•   Better and safer medication dosing, adjusted for patient weight and other factors.
•   Better ability to prevent adverse reactions due to drug interactions or allergies.
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•   Use of standard formats to exchange basic patient information for continuity of care.
•   Enhanced ability to view X-rays and other diagnostic images.
•   Better management of patient consents and authorizations.
•   Increased use of standard formats when receiving and storing laboratory results.
As a CCHIT Certified product, Silk V 4.2 has been tested and passed inspection of 100 percent of these new criteria.  
“We feel that CCHIT certification will help our current and prospective customers see Silk’s commitment to delivering qualified EHR services along with other solutions that offer more than increased revenue cycle management and advanced technology.  We are glad that CCHIT has raised the standards to such a high level this year as we believe this will help physicians narrow down their choices to solutions which enable a higher level of patient care and practice value with a longer product lifespan.” Lyle Thompson, CEO, Silk Information Systems.
The CCHIT Certified “seal of approval” for EHR products provides a consensus-based, government-recognized benchmark for ambulatory EHR products. By looking to products with the CCHIT Certified seal, physicians and other providers can reduce their risk in selecting an EHR product, allowing them to focus their evaluation on the special needs of their practices.

About Silk Information Systems, Inc.
Silk Information Systems, Inc. provides enterprise end-to-end services including EHR, revenue cycle management, practice management, billing and hosting services for physician and hospital owned practices.  SILK offers a no cost, no risk entry into enterprise services that increase revenue, patient care and accuracy while reducing costs and risks for physicians.  SILK is a true web-based service that operates on a percentage of collected revenue.  SILK writes the first check of investment in improving healthcare for your practice. SILK is a partner in your business, and as a good business partner SILK cultivates a symbiotic relationship that results in achieving the mutual goals of successful implementation and continued management of EHR, revenue cycles, billing processes and patient care.  SILK’s success is tied to your success. www.silkisi.com

About CCHIT
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) is a private, nonprofit organization that has been named by the federal government as the Recognized Certification Body for health information technology. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating a credible, sustainable certification program. The certification requirements are based on widely accepted industry standards and involve the work of hundreds of expert volunteers and input from a variety of stakeholders throughout the health care industry. More information on CCHIT and CCHIT Certified® products is available at www.cchit.org and at www.ehrdecisions.com.
“CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered marks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.

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Silk Information Systems provides an end-to-end enterprise services solution for physicians and hospitals including practice management software, enterprise management software (EMR), medical billing software and more.