ATLANTA, Dec. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgical Information Systems ("SIS") announced today it will showcase its industry-leading anesthesia information management system as a key component of the EHR during the upcoming PostGraduate Assembly in Anesthesiology (PGA). PGA is the annual meeting of The New York State Society of Anesthesiologists (NYSSA), December 15 -17 in New York City.

(Log: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080722/SISLOGO )

Powerful technology to support quality, efficiency and cost goals

Ninety percent of anesthesia providers believe perioperative IT is a strategic driver to their success, according to a recent survey of anesthesiologists conducted by an independent national polling organization[1].  And as reimbursements continue to decrease and demands to improve care quality go up, both anesthesiologists and hospitals are looking to anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) to help them meet those challenges in the perioperative environment.

"Anesthesia-specific information solutions provide clinicians with the mobility and analytical tools needed to streamline the documentation process and improve workflow, allowing us to focus our attention on providing better patient care," says Marc Paradis, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Anesthesiology at University of Connecticut Health Center. "Having the right tools available advances anesthesia automation and documentation."

As a key element of SIS's complete perioperative solution, or integrated with any surgery management IT platform, SIS Anesthesia simplifies documentation of anesthetic care throughout the surgical process to improve efficiency and quality of care.  A highly-advanced anesthesia information management system (AIMS), the software also integrates with critical care devices such as supported anesthesia ventilators and vital sign monitors and automatically captures electronic data to improve accuracy and completeness of the anesthesia record.

"SIS Anesthesia enabled us to achieve 99% compliance with SCIP initiatives, improve on-time surgery starts, reduce OR turnover time, and reduce days in accounts receivable," says Zeev Kain, M.D., department chairman of anesthesiology and perioperative care at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center (UCI). "The result has been significant improvements in overall financial performance, while also improving the quality of care we can provide to our patients."

In the survey, the majority of respondents cite efficiency improvements as a top concern.  SIS' anesthesia-specific analytics deliver actionable intelligence to providers, giving them visibility into clinical metrics such as anesthesia times, surgical times, and outcomes by caregiver and the ability to drill-down to case-level detail.  Managers and administrators easily share performance stats with providers to improve efficiency -- plus strengthen purchasing power and reduce unnecessary supply use -- important achievements in an era of rising case loads and significant cost control.

Proven in Anesthesia: "Make the Right Move"

SIS has established itself as a leader in the growing anesthesia documentation space:

• SIS Anesthesia was rated #1 in the recently released anesthesia specialty report by KLAS.  In the report, AIMS 2012: Cooperation is Key, 100% of clients surveyed said they would buy SIS Anesthesia again.[2]
• SIS was the first AIMS vendor to be awarded Preferred Vendor status by the Anesthesia Quality Institute (AQI).
• Industry Supporter of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA): Provides unrestricted support for the vital functions of ASA – which include member resources, professional development programming and specialty advancement.
• SIS Anesthesia Version 5 has been certified to meet 2011/2012 Stage 1 meaningful use measures as a modular Electronic Health Record (EHR).[3]

"The benefits of AIMS with robust analytics and facilitated-billing are clear -- and critical -- to strategies that healthcare organizations are employing to meet quality, regulatory and financial requirements demanded by the industry today," said Ed Daihl, SIS' Chief Executive Officer.  "SIS Anesthesia's user-friendly tools help anesthesia providers continually improve care delivery and provide indispensable information that helps hospitals meet their patient care, efficiency, and cost goals."

SIS will demonstrate how anesthesia providers can "Make the Right Move" to top-ranked automated documentation, advanced analytics, and streamlined billing at Booth # 268 Saturday, December 15 through Monday, December 17.

About SIS
Surgical Information Systems ("SIS") provides software solutions that are uniquely designed to add value at every point of the perioperative process. Developed specifically for the complex surgical environment, all SIS solutions—including anesthesia—are architected on a single database and integrate easily with other hospital systems. SIS offers the only surgical scheduling system and the only anesthesia information management system endorsed by the American Hospital Association (AHA), and analytics and rules-based charging tools that have been granted Peer Reviewed status by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). SIS is also the first AIMS provider to be designated as an AQI Preferred Vendor by the Anesthesia Quality Institute (AQI). Most recently, SIS Anesthesia was rated #1 in the recently released anesthesia specialty report by KLAS, AIMS 2012: Cooperation is Key.²

For more information, visit our website, www.SISFirst.com.

SIS, the SIS logo, and Surgical Information Systems are trademarks of Surgical Information Systems, LLC. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

[1] SIS commissioned the study in which Penn Shoen Berland conducted online quantitative surveys among 150 anesthesia providers in the United States.  The margin of error is +/- 6.7%.

[2] August, 2012. © 2012 KLAS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. www.KLASresearch.com.

[3] SIS Anesthesia v5.0 is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by Drummond Group Inc., an ONC-ATCB, authorized to conduct complete and modular EHR testing and certification in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.

Surgical Information Systems' SIS Anesthesia v5.0 was certified on October 6, 2011, Certification ID 10062011-6162-6

SOURCE Surgical Information Systems