Whether you have been using an electronic health record (EHR) for years or are just thinking about taking the leap, help may be on the way.
PA Reach, a regional health information technology extension center funded through a grant from the federal government, is offering EHR assistance to Pennsylvania's primary care physicians.
PA Reach will help eligible physicians select the EHR product that works best for their practice, analyze and revamp their workflow, implement the system, and achieve the "meaningful use" requirements necessary to earn the EHR incentives.
To be eligible for federally subsidized help, your practice must be limited to primary care (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology) or you must be a certain type of subspecialist who assumes primary care of your patients.
What you need to know:
- Help is generally limited to practices with 10 or fewer physicians or other prescribers
- Services are available to practices regardless of how far along they are in implementing EHR
- Practices are free to choose any EHR product
- Group purchasing arrangements are available with some vendors
- PA REACH guarantees successful achievement of Medicare or Medicaid EHR incentives
For more information and to register, go to PA Reach East (eastern PA) or PA Reach West (western PA)