MONTVALE, NJ -- (Marketwire) -- 07/02/09 -- SRS, the leader in high-performance hybrid EMR solutions, today announced its support for the recommendations released by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) regarding "meaningful use." While some vendors of CCHIT-certified EMRs are suggesting that the bar must be set high, CCHIT is cautioning that failure by physicians to meet the meaningful use requirements will lead to "disillusionment and frustration with the ARRA incentive program."

CCHIT has recognized the realities of the EHR marketplace. In its statement to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), released on June 26th, CCHIT acknowledged the inherent challenges facing physicians, particularly those who have not yet begun EHR implementation -- the vast majority of practices.

"We were encouraged to read CCHIT's statement of lessons learned -- that the program must be inclusive of a wide diversity of specialties and not focus solely on primary care," says Evan Steele, CEO of SRSsoft. "The fact that the definition of 'meaningful use' currently under consideration by the HIT Policy and Standards Committees is only relevant for a limited range of providers is a concern that SRS has been espousing since the passage of the ARRA legislation."

We support CCHIT's recommendation to simplify "meaningful use" so that a greater number of physicians will be able to achieve successful participation in the incentive program. Limiting the burden placed on physicians is the cornerstone of our "Voice of the Physician" petition drive.

Making "meaningful use" attainable, in combination with broadening the certification options as recently proposed by CCHIT, will likely lead to increased EHR adoption rates and greater success of the government's ARRA incentive program.

About SRS

For more than a decade, SRS has been making innovative and sophisticated digital technology practical for high-performance, successful medical practices. SRS was designed with input from its physicians to provide them with a system that fits their needs, helps them work more efficiently, and enables them to achieve a rapid return on their investment. SRS, which has built the largest national network of high-performance practices that successfully use an EMR, attributes its unmatched adoption rate to ease of use, fast implementation, and accelerated timeframe for training physicians and office staff. For more information on SRS, visit www.srssoft.com, e-mail info@srssoft.com, fax 201.802.1301, or call 800.288.8369.