Topic

Regional Extension Center


Georgia REC selects physician group to become a local extension center

Partnerships & Alliances | Tuesday, July 13 2010
The Georgia Health IT Regional Extension Center has selected the Coalition of Athens Area Physicians to become a local extension center to assist physicians and nurse practitioners in the adoption of EHRs in northeastern Georgia.
 

eHealth Initiative: IT policy implementers, take note from the state level

Industry News | Friday, July 09 2010
Much of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 implementation activity will occur at the state level, as will provisions in healthcare reform that build on health IT and health information exchange, according to a report from eHealth Initiative.
 

Iowa REC selects eClinicalWorks' EMR

Contracts & Installations | Friday, July 09 2010
Iowa’s Health IT Regional Extension Center (REC) has selected eClinicalWorks unified EMR and practice management system as a preferred ambulatory vendor for its primary care providers state-wide.
 

Virginia REC selects athenahealth as EHR partner

Contracts & Installations | Tuesday, July 06 2010
Virginia HIT, the federally designated Health IT regional extension center (REC) for Virginia, in partnership with the Center for Innovative Technology, has selected athenahealth as an EHR program partner to reach nearly 2,300 primary care physicians across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
 

HIT Standards Committee: Tiger Team issues info exchange privacy policies

Top Stories | Friday, July 02 2010
Written by Justine Cadet
The Privacy and Security Tiger Team has a finite amount of time to determine how to protect personal health information, particularly in the growing trend of message handling in directed exchanges where intermediaries may be required, and therefore, an increased exposure to risk, explained Deven McGraw, Chair of Privacy & Security Tiger Team, during the HIT Standards Committee meeting on June 30.
 

HealthBridge opens Tri-State REC

Industry News | Thursday, June 24 2010
HealthBridge, a nonprofit health information organization, has launched the Tri-State Regional Extension Center (REC) to help physicians and other medical professionals switch from paper records to EHRs.
 

Blumenthal: Meaningful use timeline is appropriate

Top Stories | Wednesday, June 16 2010
The question healthcare providers are facing today is "whether we are pushing too hard, too fast to make this important change," stated David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT, on his blog this week. “I respectfully submit, no,” stated Blumenthal. “In turn, I ask, ‘Can we make these changes expeditiously enough?’”
 

Webinar: Local focus, perceived value are crucial for sustainable HIE

Web Exclusives | Thursday, June 03 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
The success of health information exchange (HIE) implementation will depend on local markets and HIE's perceived value to that locality, according to a webinar hosted by Open Health IT Exchange.
 

Webinar: HITRC gearing up for RECs to 'convene and connect'

Web Exclusives | Thursday, May 27 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
The Health IT Resource Center (HITRC) structure to convene and connect regional extension centers (RECs) and the health IT industry also could set the stage for the REC itself to provide a common forum for providers in the service area, according to Melissa Rutala, MPH, director of the Arizona Health-e Connection Regional Extension Center, during a webinar hosted by healthcare nonprofit eHealth Initiative on RECs.
 

HHS releases $220M in health IT awards

Top Stories | Tuesday, May 04 2010
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius have selected 15 pilot communities for wide-scale use of health IT through the Beacon Community program, with awards totaling $220 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
 

Axolotl gets nod for Maryland statewide HIE

Contracts & Installations | Thursday, April 29 2010
Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients, the state-designated entity for Maryland’s health information exchange (HIE), has selected Axolotl's technology as the infrastructure for the state's HIE.
 

Blumenthal gets personal, calls for teamwork among health IT pros

Top Stories | Thursday, April 29 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
BOSTON–Only through its proper use can technology boost healthcare improvement, said David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT, during his keynote address Thursday at the Health IT: Creating Jobs, Reducing Costs and Improving Quality national conference, hosted by Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick.
 

ANIA: ARRA means ‘golden’ days ahead for nursing informaticists

Conference News | Sunday, April 25 2010
BOSTON–There are mountains of problems to overcome when it comes to automating systems and getting patient health records off of paper. And the HITECH Act has added urgency to the tasks at hand, said John Delaney, RN, BSN, director of IT outreach at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. “It’s a huge job and we’ve got big problems,” said Delaney during a session at the ANIA/CARING conference last week.
 

HHS awards $267M for regional HIT extension centers

Industry News | Friday, April 09 2010
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $267 million in funding for 28 regional HIT assistance centers that will complete a nationwide network of 60 centers.
 

Purdue U receives $12M for regional extension center

Industry News | Wednesday, February 17 2010
Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., will receive $12 million to help healthcare providers in Indiana adopt and use health IT with the establishment of the Indiana Healthcare IT Extension Center (I-HITEC).
 

Acumen nabs ONC cloud computing contract

Contracts & Installations | Tuesday, February 16 2010
Acumen Solutions has been selected to provide a cloud computing customer relationship management and project management application to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).
 

Ohio receives $43.3M from ARRA for health IT initiatives

Industry News | Tuesday, February 16 2010
The nonprofit organization Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP) has been awarded $43.3 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to help make EHRs more widely available in Ohio.
 

R.I. to receive $11.3M in ARRA health IT grants

Industry News | Monday, February 15 2010
The Rhode Island Quality Institute will receive $11.28 million from two American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants for health IT.
 

HHS, DOL release $1B in ARRA funds for health IT adoption, healthcare jobs

Top Stories | Friday, February 12 2010
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Hilda Solis have released a total of nearly $1 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) awards to help healthcare providers advance the adoption and meaningful use of health IT and train workers for the healthcare jobs.
 

Blumenthal: U.S. providers need to take advantage of HITECH

Top Stories | Friday, February 05 2010
It is impossible to imagine a high-performing U.S. health system that does not take full advantage of the computing technology that has transformed virtually every other aspect of human endeavor, wrote National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal, MD, in a commentary published Feb. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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