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Sam's Club Launches Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Package for Practices to Help Improve Patient Care

Posted on: Monday, 6 April 2009, 06:00 CDT

Virginia, Illinois and Georgia First States Targeted for Phased Implementation

BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To help independent medical practitioners provide more timely care, reduce medical errors, eliminate paperwork and contain costs, Sam's Club, eClinicalWorks(R) and Dell announced today details of its turnkey electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management package, ideal for small physician practices. This first-of-its-kind partnership and package eliminates the traditional barriers to entry including cost and complexity and will help to increase adoption rates and improve overall patient care.

"We have thousands of members in the medical field today that buy products and services at Sam's Club to help them run their businesses and they tell us that cost is a significant barrier to adopting EMRs," said Charles Redfield, senior vice president at Sam's Club. "Over the past year of our partnership, we developed a solution that is easy to use, affordable and will help them do a better job of taking care of their patients' needs."

EMRs have the potential to reduce health care costs while improving the quality of care delivered according to health care experts. Unfortunately, adoption rates among physicians in the U.S. have remained low. A June 2008 survey published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed only four percent of U.S. physicians providing direct patient care said they had a full EMR system, and only 13 percent said they had even a basic system.

The EMR package is available now in Virginia, Illinois and Georgia as part of a phased implementation. It is anticipated the package will be available to physicians nationwide this year.

"I am pleased that Sam's Club is working with the Virginia Department of Health to build in the ability for this system to share immunization data and mandated disease reporting with the Department," said Dr. Karen Remley, Virginia's Commissioner of Health. "These voluntary features will improve childhood immunization rates and simplify reporting of certain diseases as required by law. At a time when health needs in our communities are increasing and resources are under pressure, electronic health records and advances in health IT have enormous potential to improve the quality of public health care."

The convenient, all-in-one technology solution is scalable for growing practices. The eClinicalWorks software will be delivered through a "Software as a Service" (SaaS) model, enabling physicians to access the system via a secure Internet connection. Dell will provide necessary hardware and site assessment, onsite technical set-up and training as well as integration of the eClinicalWorks software with the operating system, along with hardware warranty support.

"eClinicalWorks has a proven track record of deploying a full-functioning EMR/PM system successfully, quickly and at an affordable price point," said Girish Kumar Navani, CEO and co-founder of eClinicalWorks. "Through this partnership, we are helping reduce the cost of healthcare by offering our versatile software, complete with clinical decision support functionality, to aid providers in giving the best medical care possible. Working with Dell makes it even easier for practices to take advantage of the system. Initiatives like this, along with President Obama's support of electronic medical records, could be the catalyst to widespread EMR adoption."

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will pay physicians $44,000 to $64,000 over five years, beginning in 2011, for deploying and "meaningful use" of certified EMRs. This is expected to drive up to 90 percent of U.S. physicians to EMRs in the next decade, according to a Congressional Budget Office review.

The comprehensive package, which includes EMR and practice management (PM) software and hardware, is available for a small practice of one to three providers. For a three provider practice, it will cost less than $25,000 for the first provider and up to $10,000 for each additional provider. This is a fraction of the cost of traditional programs, making it more affordable for small independent healthcare practices.

"Cost and complexity have been the primary barriers to EMR adoption," said James Coffin, vice president of Dell's Healthcare and Life Sciences business. "Partnering with eClinicalWorks and Sam's Club, we are addressing both by providing an EMR solution that is easy to purchase, easy to implement and easy to manage so that healthcare providers spend less time on administration and more time serving patients."

Medical professionals can learn about the EMR package at samsclub.com/health or by calling 866-653-1933. Compliant with industry standards, eClinicalWorks EMR Version 8.0 is a CCHIT Certified(R) 08 Ambulatory EHR, additionally certified for Child Health Production, as defined by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology. In addition, eClinicalWorks will provide physicians with 12 weeks of project management, data center support, e-prescribing integration, comprehensive primary care and specialty specific templates with decision support, five days of onsite training by eClinicalWorks staff, free unlimited online webinars and eClinicalWorks software support for this first year. The package hardware components include three Dell OptiPlex desktops, one Latitude XT convertible tablet, one fax server, one laser printer and applicable switches.

About Sam's Club

Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., (NYSE: WMT). The first Sam's Club opened its doors in Midwest City, Okla., in 1983. Today, Sam's Club serves more than 47 million U.S. Members with locations nationwide and in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Sam's Club offers exceptional values on merchandise and services for business owners and consumers. Online merchandise and Club information is available at samsclub.com.

About Dell

Dell Inc. (Nasdaq: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Dell serves those who serve with next generation infrastructure for healthcare.

About eClinicalWorks

eClinicalWorks is a privately held leader in the ambulatory clinical systems market. The company's unified electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management (PM) solutions are proven for every market segment: large practice groups, including Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative (MAeHC), Electronic Health Records of Rhode Island (EHRRI) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, as well as medium, small and solo practices regardless of specialty. The company enjoys high profitability with a five-year compounded growth rate of more than 100 percent year-to-year. With an established customer base of more than 25,000 providers across all 50 states, eClinicalWorks has been awarded multiple top industry honors including being named to the Inc. 500 in 2008 and 2007. Based in Westborough, Mass., eClinicalWorks has additional offices in New York City and Alpharetta, Ga. More information on eClinicalWorks can be found at www.eclinicalworks.com or by calling 866-888-MYCW.

SOURCE Sam's Club

Source: PR Newswire

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