AMA and Other Medical Groups Joining Forces with EHR and Health IT Businesses–More Software House/Consulting Choices

When you read through this article you can see a few different partnerships mentioned. As mentioned the AMA program appears to be the most in depth and just based on what I have been reading the last few months with different partnerships being set up, it seemed like a software house arrangement to me.

Some are charging for web site presences and other plans like the AMA is working to deal directly with physicians and be in the middle between the vendor and the purchaser. The article states that in some cases the AMA will offer technical support and perhaps even help with the implementation of a system. If there are problems, the AMA will work with the vendor to get it fixed for you. Basically this sounds like another level of “certified vendors” after they have been certified. <grin>.

This is a business opportunity for the AMA and is expected to create a source of revenue. Ingenix was the first one I remember signing on and since they develop business models and work extensively with business intelligence and with their new consulting arm, I wonder if they kind of thought of this business, just thinking out loud.

The AMA is branding their installations and support. AmericanEHR Partners charges vendors an annual fee of over 7k to be included. This is yet one more business model for Health IT vendors to affiliate themselves with. As mentioned within here too the AMGA says they are staying neutral and is not in the game to work with such business models in Health IT. BD

The American Medical Association has a solution for physicians put off by the quickly evolving, high-stakes marketplace for health information technology.

Some organizations, however, are taking tentative steps into business relationships with vendors. The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians, for example, are adopting models that charge vendors for a presence in Web resources available for practices exploring their IT options.
The AMA is going much further with a new project called Amagine that is expected to launch in 2011. It's already up and running in Michigan as a pilot project coordinated with the Michigan State Medical Society.

In addition to agreements with Ingenix for its CareTracker product and with NextGen, the Amagine project has inked deals with DrFirst for e-prescribing; Quest Diagnostics' Care360, a suite that includes lab ordering, e-prescribing and other tools; WellCentive's patient registry; and Dell, which will offer e-mail and data-storage services, as well as discounts for Amagine customers who want to upgrade their hardware.

Med groups link up with IT vendors - Modern Physician