Ambulatory Surgery Center

Medi-EHR is ONC-certified electronic health record and practice management software configured for ambulatory surgery centers. ASCs run a different operation from a clinic: shorter encounters, a surgical rather than longitudinal record, implant tracking obligations, and a billing model built on facility fees and case-based reimbursement. Medi-EHR supports that workflow on certified infrastructure, certificate number 15.02.05.2979.MEDI.02.02.1.260225_6.

Why general-purpose EHRs struggle in surgery centers

Most ambulatory EHRs were built for the office visit: a patient arrives, a provider documents, a claim goes out under a professional fee. A surgery center inverts almost every part of that.

• The record is episodic, not longitudinal. An ASC chart is organized around a case, from pre-operative clearance through intra-operative documentation to post-anesthesia recovery and discharge, rather than around a continuing patient relationship.
• Implants create a permanent tracking obligation. Devices placed in a patient have to be recorded in a way that supports recall and lookup years later.
• Billing runs on facility reimbursement. Case-based payment, multiple-procedure reductions, and implant carve-outs do not behave like standard office-visit claims.
• Scheduling is a capacity problem. Room availability, turnover, and provider blocks matter more than appointment slots.

The usual result is an ASC running a clinic EHR alongside three spreadsheets and a separate billing system. That is the problem worth solving.

Certified capabilities that matter in a surgery center

Several of the 41 criteria Medi-EHR is certified against map directly onto ASC obligations:

• Implantable device list, 170.315(a)(14). This is the certified criterion covering recording of unique device identifiers for implanted devices. For an orthopedic, ophthalmology, or pain-management center, it is not optional.
• Computerized provider order entry, 170.315(a)(1) through (a)(3). Medication, laboratory, and diagnostic imaging orders, with certified drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checking under (a)(4).
• Electronic prescribing, 170.315(b)(3). Discharge prescriptions, including controlled substances through our EPCS capability.
• Transition of care, 170.315(b)(1), and clinical information reconciliation, 170.315(b)(2). Surgery centers live and die on the handoff, both the referral coming in and the summary going back to the referring physician.
• Electronic health information export, 170.315(b)(10). Full patient and population export in documented formats.
• Clinical quality measures, 170.315(c)(1) through (c)(3). Recording, calculation, and reporting of certified eCQMs.
• ASCQR Quality Reporting Support. Capture ASCQR-required clinical data within the surgical workflow, track applicable measures, and prepare data for CMS quality reporting.

Modules ASCs typically run

Medi-EHR is modular, so a surgery center licenses what it uses rather than an all-inclusive clinic bundle:

• Scheduling – case and block/room scheduling with provider and resource assignment.
• Anesthesia documentation – intra-operative anesthesia record within the surgical chart.
• Patient intake and self check-in – digital intake forms and kiosk check-in, so pre-operative paperwork is completed before arrival rather than in the waiting room.
• Electronic consent forms – surgical consent captured and stored in the chart rather than scanned in after the fact.
• Insurance benefits verification – eligibility and benefits checked ahead of the case, which matters more in an ASC than almost anywhere else, because the patient responsibility is large and discovered late.
• Billing and practice management – facility claims, with billing services available if the center prefers not to staff the function.
• Patient portal – pre-operative instructions, post-operative instructions, and results.
• Merchant services – patient payment collection, including pre-payment of the patient responsibility.
• Faxing and secure messaging – referral traffic still moves by fax in most surgical referral networks, and Direct secure messaging under 170.315(h)(1) handles the rest.

Workers compensation and no-fault cases

A large share of surgical volume in some markets arrives through workers compensation and no-fault carriers, which carry documentation and billing requirements ordinary commercial payers do not. Medi-EHR includes a dedicated workers compensation and no-fault module, along with a doctor-lawyer portal for the attorney correspondence those cases generate.

Custom development, when the workflow does not fit

Surgery centers are specific. A single-specialty ophthalmology center and a multi-specialty center have little in common operationally. Medi-EHR is built on Oracle APEX, which is why custom modules, custom exports, custom APIs, and vendor portals are ordinary requests here rather than exceptions requiring a platform change.

Frequently asked questions

Is Medi-EHR certified for use in an ambulatory surgery center?

Yes. Medi-EHR version 2.1 is certified health IT under the ONC Health IT Certification Program, certificate number 15.02.05.2979.MEDI.02.02.1.260225_6. Certification is product-level and applies regardless of setting.

Does Medi-EHR track implantable devices?

Yes. Medi-EHR is certified for criterion 170.315(a)(14), implantable device list, which covers recording unique device identifiers for devices placed in a patient.

Can an ASC use Medi-EHR for billing as well as clinical documentation?

Yes. Medi-EHR includes billing and practice management alongside the clinical record, so cases do not have to be re-keyed into a separate billing system. Full-service billing is also available if the center prefers to outsource it.

Does Medi-EHR handle workers compensation and no-fault surgical cases?

Yes. There is a dedicated workers compensation and no-fault module, plus a doctor-lawyer portal for the attorney correspondence those cases require.

Can Medi-EHR be customized for our specialty?

Yes. Custom modules, exports, APIs, and vendor portals are supported. Custom development is quoted individually and disclosed under our cost transparency requirements.

How do patients complete paperwork before surgery?

Through digital patient intake forms and electronic consent, completed on the patient’s own device before arrival, with kiosk self check-in available on site.

See it running on your workflow

The useful demo for a surgery center is not a feature tour. Bring a real case type and we will walk it end to end, from scheduling and benefits verification through documentation, implant capture, discharge, and the claim.

This Health IT Module is compliant with the ONC Certification Criteria for Health IT and has been certified by an ONC-ACB 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.