Changes to LMR e-prescribing coming in Fall 2009

ONC publishes draft of 'Meaningful Use' for electronic health record

Jim Heffernan and Louise Schneider join LMR Executive Committee

Enhance communication with patients using the LMR Visit Summary

Retirement of LMR functionality

Changes to LMR e-prescribing coming in Fall 2009 Top of Page

The LMR Team is working on the integration of the LMR prescribing module with Surescripts, a nationwide network of pharmacies and pharmacy benefit programs. With the completion of this work, the LMR will be certified by Surescripts and meet one of the most important criteria for federal e-prescribing incentives. The new features available through this project are:

Eligibility request - Does the patient have pharmacy benefits?
Formulary request - Is the drug I want to prescribe covered for this patient?
Medication history request - What medications has the patient received under his/her pharmacy benefits?

These additions to the LMR prescribing module reinforce the growing importance of e-prescribing as a way to improve the safety and accuracy of the prescribing process and will provide LMR users with more information at the point of care to determine the most clinically appropriate and cost effective medication for their patient.

Click here for more information about Surescripts

ONC publishes draft of 'Meaningful Use' for electronic health record Top of Page

On June 16th, the Meaningful Use Workgroup presented their draft definition for meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Beginning in 2011, qualifying Medicare physicians who demonstrate "meaningful use" of an electronic health record (EHR) could receive incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Meaningful use is linked to the national goals of improving quality, safety and efficiency, care coordination, engaging patients in their care, increasing coordination of care, improving the health status of the population and ensuring privacy and security. Under each broad heading, the proposal lays out a series of objectives and quality reporting measures to be reached in 2011, 2013, and 2015. Partners HealthCare provided written comments to the HIT Policy Committee on their draft definition of meaningful use.

Click here for the meaningful use preamble and the meaningful use matrix.

Jim Heffernan and Louise Schneider join LMR Executive Committee Top of Page

Louise Schneider and James Heffernan were welcomed as new members of the LMR Executive Committee at the April 8, 2009 meeting. Jim Heffernan is the MGPO Chief Financial Officer and Louise Schneider is a BWH primary care physician and the BWPO LMR Medical Director.

The LMR Executive Committee is a leadership group that helps to prioritize the work of the LMR team. This group meets monthly to discuss LMR projects, services and other LMR-related issues. Current membership includes Cynthia Bero (LMR), Steve Flammini (technology), Thomas Lee MD (PCHI), Jeffrey Linder MD (research), Lawrence Shulman MD (DFCI), Cindy Spurr (clinical systems) and David Ting MD (MGH).

Enhance communication with patients using the LMR Visit Summary Top of Page

The LMR Visit Summary was introduced into the LMR with the Spring 2009 release. This printout summarizes information from a patient visit and provides documentation that the patient can take home. The Visit Summary contains appointment information, vital sign information, active medications, today's prescriptions with pharmacy pick-up information, health maintenance items and physician comments, if any.

LMR Users can print a Visit Summary from the LMR Reports Menu and from the End of Visit (EOV) module.

For more information contact your LMR analyst

Retirement of LMR Functionality Top of Page

This past year the LMR celebrated its 10th anniversary. During that decade countless functions and enhancements have been added to the system. In many cases, newer functionality replaced existing functions; however in a few cases, new functions were added and existing functions were also maintained. While maintaining the old feature eased the transition to the new functionality, it eventually led to more cost and complexity.

Recently the LMR Executive Committee approved a decision to retire LMR existing functionality when that functionality has been replaced by a new feature. In most cases, this will retirement will happen within one LMR release cycle of the arrival of the new functionality, giving users ample time to transition.