MINNEAPOLIS – The arduous process of responding to Medicare audits will soon be easier for healthcare providers nationwide, thanks to a partnership between ApeniMED and Quest Diagnostics' DGX -0.14% ChartMaxx(R) Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solution. ApeniMED, a leader in healthcare interoperability and the new federal standards for healthcare connectivity, NwHIN (Nationwide Health Information Network), has developed a software solution to respond electronically to audit requests. The solution, eAudit from ApeniMED, will be integrated into the ChartMaxx platform to provide staff with 24/7 concurrent access to complete patient medical records for streamlined submission of Medicare audit responses.
As the number of Medicare audits continue to rise while reimbursements rates fall, providers are looking for cost-effective solutions to ensure their audit responses are complete, timely and accurate. Today, healthcare providers must adhere to strict audit deadlines and provide hundreds of pages of documents to audit contractors in the format needed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has started the esMD program to make submitting audit information faster and more complete. ApeniMED's eAudit submission and tracking solution integrated with ChartMaxx's ECM solution will facilitate this document transfer by encrypting the audit information and sending it electronically directly to CMS, thereby streamlining the process and speeding reimbursement to hospitals and Independent Delivery Networks (IDNs).
"We are very excited to work with our partner ChartMaxx from Quest Diagnostics to help their customers save time and money in this important process," said ApeniMED President Will Sigsbee.
"Today, the process to submit requested documents for Medicare audits, via paper or a cd/dvd, can be long and cause the hospital headaches, particularly when the information is rejected because it is not in the format that matches the new standards," said Richard A. Mahoney, Vice President of Healthcare Information Solutions for Quest Diagnostics, and President of its healthcare IT subsidiary, MedPlus. "With eAudit, you can send complete patient data from ChartMaxx requested by the Recovery Audit Contractors directly to CMS electronically through ApeniMED's network, thus saving the hospital time and rework validating paid reimbursements."
ApeniMED is one of only a handful of vendors, known as Health Information Handlers, certified by CMS who can offer providers this new, innovative service.
About ApeniMED
ApeniMED provides clinical networking interoperability solutions that enable electronic exchange of health information between healthcare providers and stakeholders. Founded in 2007 by experts in healthcare technologies, ApeniMED is an industry-leader in health information exchange (HIE) and federal agency connectivity using the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN).
About ChartMaxx from Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Quest Diagnostics healthcare information technology solutions are developed by MedPlus, the healthcare IT subsidiary. ChartMaxx(R) Enterprise Content Management includes capabilities such as: Electronic Medical Record (EMR), Patient Financial Services (PFS), Health Information Management (HIM) workflows, Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC), Document Management and Imaging (DMI), and Business Process Management (BPM) functionality. The features and functionality of ChartMaxx ECM allow complete, transparent process execution to provide detailed views of patient history and records, and deliver rapid access to critical data via portals, dashboards, and mobile apps/alerts using traditional fixed and mobile technology such as iPhone(R), iPad(R), Android(TM) and Blackberry(R) RIM platforms to healthcare professionals. Its suite of solutions is currently used by over 150 large hospitals and Integrated Delivery Networks across the country. ChartMaxx has been ranked as the top healthcare Document Management and Imaging (DMI) software in the 2011 Top 20 'Best in KLAS' Awards: Software & Professional Services report for eight of the last ten years.
