AMA Online Tool Helps Docs Rank IT PrioritiesAMA Online Tool Helps Docs Rank IT Priorities

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Amagine, a subsidiary of the American Medical Association (AMA), unveiled last Friday the health IT index, an online tool which is being touted as an easy-to-use, interactive tool that prioritizes physicians' health IT goals in three minutes.

The tool promises to help busy physicians reduce the time they spend assessing their technology needs, but also is a quick way to draw users' attention to Amagine's platform, which is described as providing a "comprehensive portfolio of health information technologies and resources."

The health IT index asks a series of IT-related questions and prompts the user to rank the level of importance of each particular IT topic. The scale goes from "not important" to "very important" and, depending on where you rank each dimension, your IT priorities will be assessed.

After users complete the questionnaire that covers topics such as electronic medical records (EMRs), care coordination, clinical knowledge tools, and secure communications, users are prompted to a page that hypes the benefits of using the Amagine physician portal.

"Determining which health IT solutions will benefit your practice and allow you to qualify for federal incentives can be time consuming," AMA board secretary Steven Stack said in a statement. "The health IT index helps physicians visualize their health IT priorities in minutes and compare those priorities with other physicians to begin crafting a plan to meet their goals."

The Amagine physician platform, introduced nationally earlier this year, brings a number of health IT tools to physicians, including EMR products, electronic prescribing software, claims management systems, clinical decision support, and reference tools. Within the last month, the following three new products were added to the Amagine platform:

-- DrFirst Rcopia-MU, a certified electronic health record (EHR) system, is an upgraded version of DrFirst's e-prescribing product, Rcopia, combined with a national patient registry. According to Amagine, Rcopia-MU meets core and menu objectives help physicians qualify for Stage 1 meaningful use requirements.

-- WellCentive EHR-M is an upgraded version of WellCentive Registry that has received appropriate certification to help meet meaningful use requirements. Using WellCentive EHR-M, along with a certified e-prescribing system, will help physicians qualify for meaningful use of certified EHR technology and federal incentives, said Amagine.

-- DocSite Registry is an online patient-centric registry that brings evidence-based measures to the point of care. The DocSite registry also organizes relevant clinical information from the patient record, allowing physicians to see a patient's medical history and health status at a glance. Amagine said using DocSite Registry, along with a certified e-prescribing system, will help physicians qualify for meaningful use of certified EHR technology and federal incentives.

The Healthcare IT Leadership Forum is a day-long venue where senior IT leaders in healthcare come together to discuss how they're using technology to improve clinical care. It happens in New York City on July 12. Find out more.