Acumen Gets PQRI Nod from CMS

The Health IT Services Group (HITSG) announced September 8th that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved the Fresenius Medical Care CKD registry, which operates through its Acumen EMR, as a participating registry in CMS's 2009 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).

This will now enable participating nephrologists to report quality outcomes to the PQRI program and therefore qualify for incentive participation payments from CMS, according to HITSG.

"As the largest nephrology-specific EHR (Electronic Health Record) provider, Acumen offers nephrologists the ability to submit their data directly to the Acumen PQRI database which supports multiple reporting options and features," said Terry Ketchersid, MD, vice president and chief medical officer for HIT Services Group and Acumen. "Our background with the PQRI program and the variety of caregiver participation options we offer makes this the leading application for nephrologists wishing to participate in this CMS incentive program."

Should Acumen be the EMR of choice for all nephrologists? I don't see DaVita jumping on board. What about smaller private practice nephrology groups? Will Acumen be expanded for better use in the outpatient office setting? Will other EMRs be able to be tailored to qualify for PQRI? Many more physicians/ groups will be running to sign up soon for an EMR if they haven't already to qualify for the CMS bonus. This will continue to be a hot topic, and it appears Fresenius is the front runner in regards to a Nephrology specific EMR. Surely, there will be more to come on this topic...