Sequel Systems, Inc. Receives CCHIT Certification for SequelMed EMR V7.50

May 09, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology News
Melville, NY (April 30, 2007) – The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHITSM) today announced that Sequel Systems, Inc. is CCHIT CertifiedSM for SequelMed® EMR Version 7.50 and meets CCHIT ambulatory electronic health record (EHR) criteria for 2006. Ambulatory EHRs are designed for physician offices and clinics where most Americans get their healthcare. CCHIT is a Recognized Certification Body in the United States for certifying health information technology products – an independent, nonprofit organization that sets the benchmark for EHRs.

As a CCHIT Certified product, SequelMed® EMR Version 7.50 has been tested and passed inspection of 100 percent of a set of criteria for:
- functionality (ability to create and manage electronic records for all patients, as well as automating workflow in a physician’s office),
- interoperability (a first step in the ability to receive and send electronic data to other entities such as laboratories), and
- security (ability to keep patients’ information safe).

The CCHIT Certified mark — a “seal of approval” for EHR products — provides the first consensus-based, consistent benchmark for ambulatory products. By looking to products with the CCHIT Certified seal, physicians and other providers can be assured they are making a reliable investment and insurers and other payers know the products meet expected industry standards.

“Physician who purchase certified products have the assurance that they have been reviewed by a panel of judges, including practicing physicians, and that they are being evaluated against standards set by professionals in the field and successfully piloted with products from large and small companies,” said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., chair, CCHIT. “The quality and safety of EHR products can now be measured using certification criteria that were developed specifically for that purpose.”

“We believe achieving CCHIT certification validates both the quality of our product and the dedication of our company to providing ideal EHR solutions that make access to secure, timely and logically organized clinical information more realistic and ultimately promote health information technology to enhance patient care,” said Irfan Iqbal, Director of Medical Informatics and Sales & Marketing at Sequel after receiving successful certification status. “We are very pleased to accomplish this certification and will proudly display the CCHIT Certification seal. Coupled with our excellent support and service, it will enable physicians and organizations of any size and specialty to implement our product with added comfort and legitimacy.”

The goals of CCHIT product certification are to reduce the risk of HIT investment by physicians and other providers; ensure interoperability of HIT products; enhance the availability of HIT adoption incentives from purchasers and payers; and protect the privacy of personal health information.

CCHIT’s certification compliance criteria and its design for a certification inspection process have been thoroughly researched, taking into account the state of the art of EHRs and available standards, and comparing certification processes in other industries and other countries. The inspection process is based on real-life medical scenarios designed to test products rigorously against the clinical needs of providers and the quality and safety needs of healthcare consumers and payers. One script, for example, recreates a scenario of an elderly man with poorly controlled diabetes, hypertension and other chronic conditions in order to test EHR functions such as potential adverse drug reactions, disease management and treatment plans.

About CCHIT
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHITSM) is an independent, nonprofit organization that has been recognized by the federal government as an official certification body for electronic health record products. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating a credible, sustainable product 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 CertifiedSM products is available at www.cchit.org. “CCHITSM” and “CCHIT CertifiedSM” are service marks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.

About Sequel Systems, Inc.
Established in 1995, Sequel Systems, Inc. is a dynamic service-oriented company whose main objective is to simplify the complex practice management needs of the healthcare arena while maximizing revenue and streamlining operations. SequelMed®, the flagship product, designed from the ground up keeping in mind the business of medical practice management, combines the familiar windows environment and the power of Oracle into a complete and seamlessly integrated Electronic Practice Management (EPM), Electronic Document Management (EDM) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) tool that delivers security, versatility, functionality and productivity. Moreover, with full HIPAA compliancy, SequelMed® is ever ready and prepared to let its customers take full advantage of the ongoing EDI development in healthcare industry that will save time, money and headaches. SequelMed® is what the healthcare industry needs now - and in the future!

SequelMed® EMR is a secure, real-time, point-of-care, patient-centric application for clinicians, providing built-in decision support tools and alerts to aid clinicians in automatically capturing their decision-making rationale, ultimately providing comprehensive access to patient record instantaneously and efficiently. With our unique method of customizable templates and flow sheets, clinicians will be able to automate and streamline their workflow thereby allowing more patients to be examined. SequelMed® EMR is fully and seamlessly integrated with its Electronic Practice Management (SequelMed® EPM) and Electronic Document Management (SequelMed® EDM) systems thereby supporting collection of billing and financial data as well as all image and document management for uses other than direct clinical care.

For more information, please call Sequel at 800.965.2728 or visit www.sequelmed.com.