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RI providers receive Medicaid EHR Incentive payments
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 To date, at least 29 providers from 6 practices have been approved to receive the first payments through RI's Medicaid EHR Incentive Program--for a total payment of approximately $580,000.
Six certified nurse-midwives and 18 physicians (including several pediatricians) have received the maximum first-year payment of $21,250, and 5 pediatricians received a "2/3 payment" of $14,167 (for an attested patient volume of less than 30%).
Congratulations to all these providers for reaching this important meaningful use milestone!
To learn more about eligibility and answers to your attestation questions, download the latest information about RI's Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.
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Third Expo puts Health IT pieces together
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 In keeping with the event's theme, "Putting the Health IT Pieces Together," attendees at the Rhode Quality Institute's third Health IT Expo assembled puzzle cubes. Each brightly colored puzzle piece represented one of the six categories of exhibitors.
Those at the Health IT event had the opportunity to hear the latest about RI REC's programs and services, including currentcare--the statewide Health Information Exchange--and see a demonstration of currentcare's Patient Record Inquiry Service.
Other presentation sessions provided information about implementing an EHR in a solo-provider practice; attesting to meaningful use through the Medicare and RI's Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs; and using Direct messaging for the secure electronic exchange of patients' health information.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI, the Expo's premier sponsor, held a session about its PCP EHR Fee Increase Program and its alignment with Stage 1 meaningful use. A PCMH physician leader discussed the impact of an EHR and the role of practice transformation on the patient experience.
Participants in RI REC's Vendor Marketplace met with those looking to learn more about EHR software options, technical services, and Health Information Service Providers. RI payors and community resources, including the RI Department of Health and Webster Bank, also participated as exhibitors. Special thanks to all Expo sponsors: Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI (premier sponsor), UnitedHealthcare, Webster Bank, and the Rhode Island Medical Society.
Articles about two Expo sessions appear online in CMIO, a leading journal for chief medical information officers. To read these and to learn about the Vendor Marketplace participants and review materials from the Expo presentation sessions, visit the Educational Material page at www.DocEHRtalk.org.
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RIQI staff demonstrate currentcare's Patient Record Inquiry Service
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 currentcare's Patient Record Inquiry Service will allow authorized healthcare providers to view an enrolled patient's longitudinal clinical record using the currentcare Web portal. currentcare is RI's statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE). Staff of the Rhode Island Quality Institute demonstrated this new service at our recent Health IT Expo.
According to HIE Program Management Director Charlie Hewitt, a pilot group of RI providers will begin using the Patient Record Inquiry Service (PRIS) early in 2012, with other providers to follow. Once logged in to PRIS, providers can view enrolled patients' lab results, encounters with healthcare providers, documents regarding past care, and information about medications, allergies, and medical conditions.
Nearly 200,000 patients are enrolled in currentcare, and approximately 8,000 patients are enrolling each month. Nearly 400 physician offices, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and visiting nurse agencies are enrolling patients. Lab data are already being collected into currentcare from East Side Clinical Laboratory, four Lifespan hospitals, two Care New England hospitals, and South County Hospital.
Read more about the Patient Record Inquiry Service demonstration, and download the latest currentcare brochure and a progress-to-date fact sheet. To learn more about enrolling your patients in currentcare, call 888-924-4156.
Look for updates about currentcare in future issues of DocEHRnews.
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EHR Adoption Program helping more than 900 Rhode Island PCPs
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 RI REC's EHR Adoption Program is now helping more than 900 primary care providers. A year ago, there were 400 providers enrolled.
Nationwide, 62 RECs have enrolled more than 100,000 PCPs (approximately one-third of all PCPs in the U.S.) to assist them in adopting and using EHRs in a meaningful way.
Approximately 90 RI REC providers have achieved Stage 1 Meaningful Use and received up to $18,000 each as an incentive payment in their first year of participation in Medicare's EHR Incentive Program. These providers also receive a $2,500 subsidy from RI REC.
So far this month, there are at least 29 providers at 6 practices who have attested to "Adopt/Implement/Upgrade" in RI's Medicaid EHR Incentive Program and received payments (see Medicaid article at top of newsletter.)
 In addition to those who have reached Meaningful Use, there are approximately 425 other enrolled PCPs who have reached "Milestone 2"--using an EHR to e-prescribe and to do quality reporting.
The majority of our enrolled providers are internists, followed by family medicine physicians, pediatricians, obstetrician/gynecologists, general practitioners, and those who specialize in adolescent medicine or geriatrics.
Learn more about RI REC's programs and services and about enrolling in our EHR Adoption Program.
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Ongoing education and assistance available for RI REC members
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- Want to know more about Direct Messaging and missed the presentation at the Health IT Expo?
Join us for one of our 30-minute webinars later this month or in January. Learn how we can help you adopt this secure email communication method for exchanging patients' health information.
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Need assistance with workflow redesign, data reporting, and other projects?
The RI Regional Extension Center is partnering with the state's Quality Improvement Organization to offer its REC member practices a host of consultative services at no cost. Healthcentric Advisors (formerly Quality Partners of Rhode Island) is convening a Learning and Action Network of REC providers to offer fully funded support in the areas of workflow redesign, data reporting, and implementing quality improvement programs for maximum incentives.
The network's design will be a forum to connect with your peers to share success stories, to access cutting-edge best practices, to earn CMEs, and for other benefits. The first Learning and Action event is scheduled for January 24, 2012. To learn more, please contact Lauren Capizzo, MBA, CPEHR at (401) 528-3239 or lcapizzo@healthcentricadvisors.org, or Brenda Jenkins, RN, D.AY., CPEHR at (401) 528-3246 or bjenkins@healthcentricadvisors.org.
- Add to your knowledge of health information technology by participating in RI REC's Health IT Certification Program. Members of the RI healthcare community are eligible for free EHR training and to become a certified professional in EHRs. If you're a primary care provider enrolled in our EHR Adoption Program, contact your Relationship Manager or click here. For all others, click here for more information.
If you're not already a member of RI REC, click the red button now!
Membership is free for providers and staff in the Rhode Island healthcare community. Any questions? Call us at 888-858-4815, option 4, or write to RIREC@riqi.org.
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The RI Regional Extension Center (RI REC) is a service of the Rhode Island Quality Institute, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and value of healthcare in Rhode Island. To learn more, visit www.DocEHRtalk.org. RI REC and its services and materials are made possible through a grant from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology with US Department of Health and Human Services support. |
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