IMPAC Announces Automated Solution Update to Support 2006 CMS Oncology Demonstration Project
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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 22 /-- IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc., part of the Elekta Group and a leading provider of information technology solutions for oncology care, announced today its plans to release CMS 2006 Quality of Care -- an updated product solution in IMPAC's oncology electronic medical record (EMR) designed to support CMS' (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services) 2006 oncology demonstration project, which assesses the quality of care for cancer patients. To facilitate the accurate and efficient collection of the CMS quality indicators, the updated version of IMPAC's EMR will provide an opportunity for office-based hematologists and oncologists to participate in the CMS 2006 oncology demonstration project.
CMS' 2006 demonstration project will gather information relevant to the quality of care for cancer patients, including their treatments, the care they receive from their doctors, and whether or not the care represents best practice. The project will emphasize evidence-based practice guidelines. Reporting will be associated with physician evaluation and management (E & M) visits for established cancer patients who have one of 13 target cancers (breast cancer, chronic myelogenous leukemia, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, head and neck cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-small cell/small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, or rectal cancer). To qualify for the oncology demonstration payment of $23, the physician must submit one G-code from each of three categories when an E & M service of level 2, 3, 4, or 5 is billed. CMS has established new G-codes to be reported by practitioners in this 2006 demonstration project.
IMPAC will incorporate new assessment methodology into its oncology EMR which will correspond to each of the target diagnoses and include the associated questions and responses. IMPAC will also support the electronic capture, billing, and remittance for these G-codes via the EMR's fully integrated medical billing system. In addition, CMS 2006 Quality of Care Reports will feature additional ways to support the CMS initiative. These reports will identify the patients that meet the pre-qualifications, locate incomplete assessments, and reveal assessments missing code capture. The company expects to release the EMR tool on a timeline commensurate with CMS' acceptance of the new G-codes.
About IMPAC Medical Systems
IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc., a company in the Elekta Group, provides healthcare IT solutions that streamline clinical and business operations across the spectrum of cancer care. IMPAC's open integration to multiple healthcare data and imaging systems offers oncology-specific patient charting and practice management, as well as best-of-breed systems for anatomic pathology, clinical laboratory, and cancer registry. With products that range from diagnosis and treatment through long-term follow-up, IMPAC provides a comprehensive oncology management solution that helps improve overall communication, process efficiency, and quality patient care. For more information about IMPAC's products or services, please call 888-GO-IMPAC or visit www.impac.com.
About Elekta
Elekta is an international medical-technology Group, providing meaningful clinical solutions, comprehensive information systems and services for improved cancer care and management of brain disorders. All of Elekta's solutions employ non-invasive or minimally invasive techniques and are therefore clinically effective, gentle on the patient and cost-effective. With approx. 1,700 employees, Elekta's corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden and the company is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more information about Elekta's products or services, please visit www.elekta.com.
CONTACT: media, Lorna Murdock, Marketing Communications Manager of IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc., +1-650-623-8912, or lmurdock@impac.com
