Blessing Health System Selects Allscripts Electronic Health Record and Practice Management for Physicians in Three-State Area

Hospital-Based Agreement Highlights Impact of Regulatory Changes Connecting Physicians and Hospitals

CHICAGO and QUINCY, IL .– Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX), the leading provider of clinical software and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, announced today that Blessing Health System has selected Allscripts as their Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) provider to automate and connect clinical and administrative processes for more than 60 employed and independent physicians.

Quincy-based Blessing Health System operates two hospitals and a variety of other healthcare services, including Blessing Physician Services (BPS), a multi-specialty group of 40 physicians who serve patients from Western Illinois, Northeast Missouri and Southeast Iowa. Blessing Health System will provide the Allscripts solutions to their employed physicians in their physician services group as well as to another 21 independent faculty physicians and medical residents of the Quincy Family Practice Center, a teaching facility of the Southern Illinois University Medical School.

In extending the technology offering to independent physicians, Blessing Health System is taking advantage of recent changes to federal regulations that are connecting physicians and hospitals nationwide. The federal Stark regulation, which limits the scope of hospital-physician relationships, has been relaxed to enable hospitals to assist non-employed physicians in adopting healthcare information technologies, including electronic health records, to enhance patient safety and quality of care.

“By offering both affiliated and non-affiliated physicians the Allscripts electronic health record and practice management solution, we can provide a seamless connection to critical patient information along the entire continuum of care,” said Jerry Jackson, President/Chief Executive Officer, Blessing Physician Services. “Our goal is to develop a hospital-based community model under which Blessing Hospital and all of Quincy’s medical groups join to offer truly integrated patient care.”

The Electronic Health Record provides physicians at Blessing Physician Services with instant access to patient information when and where they need it – at the hospital, in their offices, or while on-call at home. The web-based solution automates everyday clinical tasks such as prescribing and refilling medications, ordering and reviewing tests, and documenting patient care. Easy to use and customize, the Electronic Health Record features robust clinical tools that support safe medical practices, including health maintenance alerts, clinical decision support, and automated drug safety checking.
The Practice Management functionality combines sophisticated scheduling and Revenue Cycle Management tools to help physician practices become more productive while improving service to patients. Important features include advanced billing and reconciliation, referral and eligibility indicators, and automated patient appointment reminders.

Following a comprehensive search, Blessing Physician Services selected Allscripts for the company’s financial stability and demonstrated ability to successfully deploy the Electronic Health Record and Practice Management solutions for large hospital-based organizations.

“The physicians who participated in the Allscripts demonstration were impressed that they could intuitively use the electronic health record to move through their workflow in a natural fashion,” said Gina Genenbacher, Director, Blessing Physician Services. “Allscripts provides all the advantages of an automated clinical system that enhances a physician’s ability to deliver quality patient care.”

Allscripts Chief Executive Officer Glen Tullman commented, “Increasing numbers of hospitals are intent on developing an end-to-end community care model that assures continuity of care for patients whether they are in the hospital or physician’s offices outside the hospital. The cornerstone of the community model is immediate access to patient information, anytime and anywhere, and we are proud that Blessing Health System has selected Allscripts to help deliver on that vision.”