Summit Healthcare’s Immunization Registry Interface Receives Meaningful Use Certification

Braintree, Mass., February 17, 2011 — Summit Healthcare, a leader in healthcare system integration and task automation, today announced it has received the federal government’s “meaningful use” stamp of approval on its Immunization Registry Interface. The designation officially deems the interface capable of enabling providers to qualify for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Tested and certified under the Drummond Group's Electronic Health Records Office of the National Coordinator Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) program, the interface is 2011/2012 compliant in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Summit Healthcare worked with Doylestown Hospital in Pennsylvania to develop an interface to the Pennsylvania Department of Health for their immunization data requirements. Doylestown Hospital and Summit Healthcare worked together to achieve meaningful use certification of the interface through the Drummond Group. “Summit Healthcare was excellent to work with during the process of certification. They addressed the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Office of the National Coordinator, and the Drummond Group every step of the way. When it came to the certification testing, things could not have gone smoother,” said Rick Lang, Vice President and CIO, Doylestown Hospital.

The flexibility of Summit Healthcare’s integration products and solutions are well suited to being part of a meaningful use compliant solution in hospitals today. “The certification validates that our software can help hospitals take part in the electronic revolution that is reverberating across the healthcare industry. Healthcare providers can now leverage our software to not only make significant integration improvements, but to also achieve meaningful use and qualify for incentive funds under ARRA. We are proud to offer hospitals the opportunity to truly improve care in their communities,” said Ted Rossi, CEO, Summit Healthcare Services.

Drummond Group’s ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that electronic health records (EHRs) meet the meaningful use criteria for either eligible provider or hospital technology. In turn, healthcare providers using the EHR systems of certified vendors are qualified to receive federal stimulus monies upon demonstrating meaningful use of the technology -- a key component of the federal government’s push to improve clinical care delivery through the adoption and effective use of EHRs by U.S. healthcare providers.

“The need to leverage information technology in the healthcare industry is huge – as the quality of care and efficiency benefits that come with computerization can really make a difference in the overall patient experience. We’re ready to help transform the industry by providing the sophisticated software testing services that ensure that vendors and hospitals are offering systems that are capable of meeting the meaningful use standards required to obtain incentive funds as well as the rich functionality required to move the clinical care needle forward,” said Rik Drummond, CEO of the Drummond Group. “We have been testing software for more than a decade and are ready to leverage our extensive experience handling sophisticated systems in complex industries as well as dealing with complicated technical issues such as interoperability and security.”

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About Summit Apex

Summit Healthcare offers the Summit Apex integrated product suite to provide the healthcare industry with a comprehensive toolset for integration and automation needs and has quickly become the standard for streamlining efforts. From interface management to data migration and dictionary maintenance efforts, the Summit Apex suite includes:

Summit Express Connect — a robust interface engine used for both hospital and physician office EMR integration with 3rd party vendor systems.
Summit Provider Exchange — provides hospitals with bi-directional integration for orders and results with physician offices and clinics. Streamlines data exchange with any EMR system.
Summit Scripting Toolkit — a full-featured workflow and task automation tool that also provides the means to extract and parse data, and is often used when conventional (HL7) methods to deliver data are not available.
Summit InSync — the market leading solution for dictionary maintenance accomplished through a powerful extraction, analysis and update process that ensures dictionaries are synchronized from test to live and across multiple facilities or platforms.
Summit Downtime Reporting System — ensures continuous access to critical patient data for clinicians at all times, to ensure quality of care and operational continuity in the event of HCIS or network downtime.

For our healthcare clients that do not have the resources to develop and manage interfaces internally, Summit Healthcare offers Integration Outsourcing Services as part of a complete integration package.

About Summit Healthcare

Summit Healthcare is the choice of hospitals and providers who want to take full control of their healthcare systems integration and information management requirements. Since 1999, we have worked to provide the industry with the most flexible integration technology with complimentary tailored services and solutions.

Summit Healthcare continues to grow and has over 1,000 customers in the healthcare market, including close partnerships with complementary technology partners, major system integrators, and value-added resellers. For more information, visit http://www.summit-healthcare.com or call 781-519-4840.