Upgrade to NextGen 6.2021.1 For New Interoperability Features

The NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21 release, version 6.2021.1, includes exciting new NextGen software features and functionality. With this upgrade, your practice can access tools to help you comply with the 21st Century Cures Act and improve interoperability. Plus, the NextGen Patient Experience Platform (PxP) will help you simplify and improve the patient experience.

Here is what your practice needs to know about the new NextGen features included in the NextGen Enterprise 6.2021.1 upgrade.

New Features Included in the NextGen 6.2021.1 Release

The NextGen 6.2021.1 Enterprise Spring ’21 release includes four key new features. These help you meet to comply with regulations, improve the patient experience, and manage your practice.

Tools to Help Your Practice Comply with the 21st Century Cures Act

The 21st Century Cures Act included provisions preventing information blocking. The information blocking rule from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) prevents health-care providers and other actors from interfering with access to, exchange of, or use of electronic health information. The information blocking rule went into effect on April 5, 2021. All practices taking part in the Medicare Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or other public programs must upgrade to NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21 by December 31, 2022, to stay in compliance with the 21st Century Cures Act.

NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21 also gives your practice access to an improved certified application programming interfaces (APIs) experience. With these tools, you can let patients securely access their health data via the app of their choice. Certified APIs support your practice to share data securely, safely, and affordably.

The information blocking rule has exceptions. ONC has defined several reasonable and necessary actions that do not constitute information blocking. NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21 builds these rules into your NextGen EHR automatically. That way, you can ensure your practice operates within regulatory guidelines.

Better Interoperability

Besides complying with the information blocking rule, NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21 improves other aspects of interoperability. For example, the upgrade lets you receive patient data far more efficiently, including clinical notes and lab results, attached to Consolidated Clinical Data Architectures (CCDAs). You can incorporate this data into your NextGen EHR whether it comes in through formal health information exchanges, CareQuality, or Direct messages.

The API tools included in NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21 can also help your practice improve interoperability. Besides giving patients access to their data, these tools allow your practice to use public or private APIs for add-on services that support data exchange. The advancement of APIs opens a world of integration opportunities never available before.

NextGen Patient Experience Platform (PxP)

The NextGen Patient Experience Platform comes fully integrated with NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21. NextGen improved their Medfusion platform and re-branded it to the NextGen PxP Portal, a robust new iteration of the NextGen Patient Portal. With NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21, patients can get 24-hour access to their medical records. They can also renew prescriptions, pay bills, and securely email their care team online. The NextGen Patient Experience Platform can also let your patients schedule their own appointments and pre-fill check-in forms before their visit. These enhancements save your practice time while engaging patients in their care.

All existing legacy NextGen Patient Portal clients will need to update to the NextGen PxP Portal as part of their NextGen 6.2021.1 upgrade. Careful upgrade planning and coordination will need to be accounted for since so many clients will need to take this upgrade. If your practice has not started talking to your NextGen Account Manager about your upgrade, you should immediately.

NextGen Enterprise Spring ‘21 also includes telemedicine improvements to OTTO virtual visits. Telehealth has become more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now you can conduct virtual visits with your patients seamlessly within your NextGen EHR or NextGen Mobile. The upgrade ensures complete integration of virtual visits with your NextGen EHR system. This helps you schedule and bill for telehealth more easily.  

NextGen EHR Improvements

The NextGen EHR 6.2021 upgrade also offers improved usability and enhanced features for your providers and staff, including:

Improvements in NextGen EPM

NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21 upgrades the NextGen Enterprise Practice Management (EPM) system. Key new tools include:

Upgrade to Access New NextGen 6.2021.1 Features

You must upgrade your NextGen system to access the new features included in NextGen Enterprise Spring ’21. Upgrades, especially with moving to a new patient portal, can be complex and overwhelming. Third parties like TempDev are well-positioned to help your practice prepare for and execute your upgrade.

How TempDev Can Help You Upgrade to NextGen 6.2021.1

TempDev’s NextGen developers and consultants can help your practice upgrade to NextGen 6.2021.1 Enterprise Spring ’21. Upgrading your NextGen EHR & EPM can be complex. TempDev can make yours easy with project management, clinical data conversion, testing, and training support.

Call us at 888.TEMP.DEV or contact us here to take advantage of the latest NextGen features with NextGen 6.2021.1 release.