I went to the User Conference today in Boston. Lots of surprises--mostly good ones.
John Squire, CEO, spoke about new developments. AC/PriMed are getting ready to rollout a new cloud-based EMR called InLight. It's a joint venture with Mass. General Hospital and will use a problem-oriented format, integrate Pri-Med medical education, and is targeted especially for direct primary care practices. It would not replace AC or AC in the Cloud.
I was also pleased to hear that V8 will be rolled out Oct. 30 and will include (finally!) integrated PM. I met the AC staffer in charge of the PM module and was very impressed.
Dan Levy, chief technical officer, gave an interesting presentation focusing on internal improvements in how AC develops, tests, and rolls out upgrades. Sounds like AC has made huge progress in the last year. The plan is to start regular, quarterly upgrades in 2015. The upgrade process for us as users will be much simpler and more predictable.
There was also some very interesting info about MU. As announced by CMS recently, we don't have to certify for Stage 2 this year but the CMS requirements for Stage 1 will vary depending upon which version of AC we're using. If I stick with V6.6.7 the requirements will be somewhat less than if I upgrade to V7. Use of the portal will be required even though we're not yet on Stage 2. It's all a bit byzantine, but what else can we expect from CMS?
There were lots of opportunities to meet and talk with AC staffers--and ask questions in person. A great bunch of folks. There were also reps from Updox and Dragon available to answer questions. I was able to resolve a question about Updox that had been on my mind.
