Cardiac Specialists, P.C., Uses the SRS Hybrid EMR to Alert Patients in Record Time

MONTVALE, NJ – August 25, 2008 – SRS, the Hybrid EMR company, announced that with the power of its e-prescribing on-demand reporting, patients are immediately identified and notified when critical drug alerts are released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recently the FDA notified the public of a rare condition that can occur when simvastatin is used with amiodarone. In response, SRS created a report to identify which patients were at risk.

"Identifying patients prescribed both simvastatin and amiodarone, and their respective doses would have been like finding a needle in a haystack if we had not transitioned our paper-based charts to the SRS Hybrid EMR," says Robert Hendler, Administrator of Cardiac Specialists, P.C. "Our physicians are thrilled to have critical patient information organized, up to date, and at their fingertips for cases just like this."

"The dream of electronic medical record technology is to provide practices with robust tools that allow them to deliver superior care to patients," says Evan Steele, CEO of SRS. "By making it possible for physicians to rapidly identify patients who are potentially at risk, the dream is now reality."

FDA Alert
The FDA is notifying the public of the risk of a rare condition of muscle injury called rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to kidney failure or death when simvastatin is used with amiodarone. This risk is dose-related and increases when a dose of simvastatin greater than 20 mg per day is given with amiodarone. A revision of the simvastatin labeling in 2002 described an increased risk of rhabdomyolysis when amiodarone is taken with simvastatin doses greater than 20 mg daily. However, the FDA continues to receive reports of rhabdomyolysis in patients treated concurrently with amiodarone and simvastatin, particularly with simvastatin doses greater than 20 mg daily. Prescribers should be aware of the increased risk of rhabdomyolysis when simvastatin is prescribed with amiodarone, and they should avoid doses of simvastatin greater than 20 mg per day in patients taking amiodarone. This information reflects FDA's current analysis of data available to FDA concerning these drugs. FDA intends to update the information sheet when additional information or analyses become available. For more information, visit http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm124362.htm.

About Cardiac Specialists
Cardiac Specialists physicians offer a comprehensive range of cardiology care. Located in Fairfield, Connecticut, Cardiac Specialists continually provides superior patient care and remains on the forefront of both scientific and technological advancements. Additional information is available online at http://www.cardiacspecialists.com.

About SRSsoft
For more than a decade, SRS has been a beacon in the ever-evolving healthcare IT industry. With a nationwide customer base encompassing every medical specialty, SRS provides powerful, flexible, award-winning solutions affording physicians professional peace of mind and unprecedented growth of their enterprise. For more information, visit www.srssoft.com, e-mail info@srssoft.com, fax 201.802.1301, or call 800.288.8369.