CHICAGO – Selecting the correct software to use in a medical practice is critical for physicians, particularly now that all technology-based practices must be compliant with the government's updated standard for electronic claims transactions. The new standard, known as HIPAA Version 5010, will be required by January 1, 2012. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) have made the software selection process easier by developing an online directory of software vendors that helps physicians determine whether the vendors’ practice management systems are compliant with the 5010 standard. A companion piece to the recently released Selecting a Practice Management System toolkit, the Practice Management System Software Directory provides detailed vendor profiles, enabling physicians to easily choose the software that best fits their needs.
 
The Practice Management System Software Directory identifies the features most important to physician practices, including:
 
Price range for the product (excluding implementation costs),
Current installed customer base for the product,
Target market for the product,
Number of years the practice management software has been offered, and
Any affiliated electronic health record (EHR) products.
 
“As the date for compliance with the government's updated standard for electronic claims transaction rapidly approaches, physicians need to have practice management software in place that meets those standards,” said AMA President Cecil B. Wilson, M.D. “We are pleased to partner with MGMA on this important initiative.”
 
"In order to avoid cash flow disruption associated with the transition to the 5010 standard, it is critical for physician practices to convert their administrative systems and test their readiness well in advance of the compliance date,” said MGMA President and CEO William F. Jessee, M.D., FACMPE. “Accessing the  Practice Management System Software Directory will be an important step for practices looking to implement new software that not only complies with complex federal mandates, but also takes advantage of the many administrative simplification opportunities under development in the public and private sectors.”
 
The directory and toolkit are available on the AMA and MGMA Web sites.
 
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To review the directory, receive a copy of the toolkit or for more information, contact:

Robert Mills
AMA Media Relations
(312) 464-5970
robert.mills@ama-assn.org

Liz Johnson
MGMA Press Relations
(303) 799-1111, ext. 1347
ljohnson@mgma.com
 
About the American Medical Association (AMA)
The American Medical Association helps doctors help patients by uniting physicians nationwide to work on the most important professional, public health and health policy issues. The nation’s largest physician organization plays a leading role in shaping the future of medicine. For more information on the AMA, please visit www.ama-assn.org. Follow the AMA on Twitter @AmerMedicalAssn
 
About MGMA
MGMA is the premier membership association for professional administrators and leaders of medical group practices. Since 1926, MGMA has delivered networking, professional education and resources, and political advocacy for medical practice management. Today, MGMA's 22,500 members lead 13,600 organizations nationwide in which some 280,000 physicians provide more than 40 percent of the health care services delivered in the United States.
 
MGMA's mission is to continually improve the performance of medical group practice professionals and the organizations they represent. MGMA promotes the group practice model as the optimal framework for health care delivery, assisting group practices in providing efficient, safe, patient-focused and affordable care. MGMA is headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and maintains a government affairs office in Washington, D.C.