I want to acknowledge and appreciate the dedicated efforts of so many  in Oklahoma hospitals, nursing homes and physician practices, who have partnered with OFMQ in our quality improvement programs. In this issue of Quality Connection, you'll read about the progress we've made and what you can expect next from OFMQ as we work together to improve healthcare quality in our state.

      OFMQ is excited about helping to promote the adoption and use of health information technology by Oklahoma physicians and other healthcare professionals. We continue to invite eligible providers to join our Regional Extension Center. OFMQ will be a vital resource for providers implementing electronic health records (EHR) to achieve "meaningful use" so they can meet the eligibility requirements for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act incentive dollars. This money will help offset the purchase price of an EHR. Through our federal grant from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, OFMQ's services are 90% paid for and allow us to provide services at very low cost. It is a great time  to get on board with implementation of an EHR. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to qualify for incentive dollars.

     OFMQ remains committed to our vision to promote significant improvements locally and nationally in health quality. We value our partnerships with Oklahoma providers and commend all of you for the improvements that have been achieved.