The Software as a Service (SaaS) model of deploying software has come of age and is gaining traction in medical practices. Physicians are adopting this Internet-centric model to offload the burden of server maintenance and data backup, while expanding access to their system and provide their staff with an intuitive user interface. While some physicians might remain skeptical of new technology and question a third-party’s ability to safeguard patient data, many of the early challenges with SaaS have been overcome.

To assess the SaaS model, it is important to first understand what it is and how it differs from traditional software deployment models. Most physician practices have heard of SaaS or “web-based” software, but few understand the details of how a SaaS system differs from a traditional client/server system or the hybrid web-enabled model. Moreover, while many people use SaaS and web-based interchangeably, there is even a subtle difference between those terms. (more…)

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) has gained substantial momentum since the organization’s founding in 2004. As a result, buyers of electronic health records (EHRs) – or electronic medical records (EMRs), as they are also known - often ask me what role CCHIT certification should play in their purchase decision. The answer is not always simple, so I decided to explain what CCHIT is, what it is not, and why some participants have passionate views for or against it.

What is CCHIT?
CCHIT is a private, non-profit organization formed to certify EHRs against a minimum set of requirements for functionality, interoperability and security. It was founded in 2004 by three industry associations (more…)