eClinicalWorks has landed a big $19.8 million deal with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for use of its unified electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management (PM) as part of the city’s Primary Care Information Project (PCIP) initiative. Initially, 1,300 physicians serving the city’s neediest communities are implementing eClinicalWorks EMR/PM, with the potential of expanding to additional providers. Participating physicians will also have access to eClinicalWorks Patient Portal.
PCIP is part of a the city’s $27 million initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare and to support the adoption and use of prevention-oriented EHRs. The focus is providers who care for the city’s underserved and vulnerable populations. The initial primary recipients of the software will be physicians from outpatient practices including community health centers, correctional facilities at Riker’s Island and hospital-affiliated outpatient ambulatory care networks.
“Using EHRs in primary care could actually improve people’s health,” said Farzad Mostashari, MD, assistant New York City Health Commissioner directing the city’s Primary Care Information Project. “They improve care and place much-needed emphasis on preventive medicine. We are pleased to be working with eClinicalWorks to bring this critical technology to the New Yorkers who need it most.”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been a supporter of EHR use. “We need to make EHRs as standard as stethoscopes in doctors’ offices across the country,” he said in a recent health policy speech. “That’s because the essence of preventive care is information – information that patients, doctors, and other healthcare workers need so they can make the right decisions, at the right times.”
For the project New York City will purchase licenses from eClinicalWorks, which will then be deployed in individual practices fitting a predetermined criteria set by the project.
“We will develop a Take Care New York (TCNY) version of the product, incorporating all of TCNY’s measures and a radically new way for managing chronic care,” said Girish Kumar Navani, president of eClinicalWorks. “These new features will become part of our core product, further distinguishing our EMR and benefiting all primary care doctors across the United States. In addition, Patient Portal will be deployed to improve patient/physician communication.”
“eClinicalWorks will be opening an office in Manhattan to centrally manage this initiative. We are confident that this additional location will help stimulate our growing business,” Kumar adds.