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August 2015
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In this issue of REConnection...



Welcome to the August issue of REConnection! We have lots of great information to share with you. 
 
Here are some of the highlights:

As always, we welcome your feedback and story ideas. Just email us at REConnection Feedback.

Best Regards,

The RI REC Team
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Do you need help with Meaningful Use?
RIQI's Regional Extension Center can help

The Rhode Island Executive Office Of Health and Human Services has contracted with the Rhode Island Quality Institute's (RIQI) Regional Extension Center (REC) to provide technical assistance to Medicaid providers who are seeking to adopt, implement, or upgrade and meaningfully use an electronic health record under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. 

The REC will assist Medicaid providers seeking to adopt, implement, or upgrade an EHR, reach MU for the first time, or advance to the next year/stage of the MU program. Educational sessions and training will be offered on issues related to MU such as performing privacy and security risk assessments, meeting MU quality measures, and preparing for MU audits.

Providers who are eligible for the Medicaid EHR Incentive program may qualify for up to $63,750 in federal incentives over the course of the program. If you are a Rhode Island Medicaid provider and would like more information, please contact the RI Regional Extension Center by phone at 888-858-4815 or email: RIREC@RIQI.org.

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SHIFT in Care

RIQI receives $2.7M Federal grant to improve care coordination and transitions for long-term care patients and caregivers

The Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI) announced recently that it has been awarded the Advance Interoperable Health Information Technology Services to Support Health Information Exchange grant from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). The two-year, $2.7 million grant will support the Sharing Health Information for Transitions in Care (SHIFT in Care) project and leverage the existing capabilities of RIQI's CurrentCare and Regional Extension Center (RIREC) to expand the capacity for statewide exchange of health information. 

Click here to read the full press release.
 
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We know you and your staff work really hard - how about a free lunch at Panera?

Contact us to help you set up an online enrollment campaign
 
CurrentCare is the No. 1 way to share patient health information quickly and accurately. And it can save you time and money. It's that simple -- and we're offering an incentive for you to enroll patients online!
 
Here's what you need to do:
 
  • Contact RIQI to learn how to securely submit a patient panel
  • Receive back a list of patients who are not enrolled in CurrentCare
  • Use RIQI's email template, that includes a link to the enrollment form to email the message to your patients who have not enrolled.

That's it!

 

And as a thank-you for your hard work, RIQI will send you a $100 gift card to Panera Bread so you can treat your staff to a great lunch!
 
To get started, contact Brian Miller at 401-276-9141 x 286, or drop him an email at bmiller@riqi.org.

We would like to recognize our first set of participants! 
  • Dr. Gilbert Teixeira
  • Hope Medical Associates
  • Kent Pediatrics
  • Wayland Medical
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Hospital Alerts: Always a good idea

Primacare, Inc., in North Smithfield, was the first practice site to receive a $100 Visa gift card as part of the incentive to implement Direct messaging, which practices need to receive  CurrentCare Hospital Alerts. We will be awarding gift cards to the first 10 practices to implement Hospital Alerts in order to supplement the costs associated with a Direct account. Contact your Relationship Manager to get set up!

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Denise Beauchamp of Thundersmist Health Center.

Denise Beauchamp, of Thundermist

CurrentCare user and On the Spot Award winner Denise Beauchamp takes a few moments to discuss her experience with CurrentCare. 

How has CurrentCare helped you do your job?

By using CurrentCare, it allows me to access all of our patients who have signed up, whether they have come to our facility or not. It allows me to see their information instantly, like if they had been in for a specific visit, or if they had changed providers.

We are working on a pap project, and it has allowed me to check records for all of our female patients in a certain demographic age group, to see if they have had a pap in the last 3 years.

What information do you find most useful?

I have found a lot of paps, mammograms and colonoscopies. I also use it for diabetics to look for their lab reports. It is very helpful for certain hospitals that we don't have quick access to. It gives us a starting point on where to look for more information or who to call more quickly. 

Do you have recommendations for others in similar roles? 

CurrentCare is really good for when you need something quick that you're having trouble finding somewhere else. It's good for large quantities of data that you need to go through for patients. 

It's a small amount of time for a lot of information!


...And Tomazia Gamboa for work in boosting enrollment at Blackstone Valley Health Care!
Tomazia Gamboa of Blackstone Community Health Care.

Tomazia Gamboa is a Patient Engagement Coordinator at Blackstone Valley Community Health Care. Tomazia diligently works with hundreds of her center's patients on many topics including understanding the value of CurrentCare, Rhode Island's Health Information Exchange. 

Tomazia has recently taken on the role of CurrentCare enrollment for her organization and has more than excelled at doing so. We thank Tomazia for her valuable and continued efforts, building the value of CurrentCare for her community health center and Rhode Island providers!





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CurrentCare: Out and About
Sasha Zapata and Brian Miller of CurrentCare RI enjoyed a big turnout at the Neighborhood Health Plan Back-to-School event.

Back-to-School event draws thousands

On Saturday, August 15th REC staff attended two Back-to-School celebration events in Providence. The team interfaced with thousands of children and their families, educating them about CurrentCare and the importance of having their healthcare information available when needed. Many parents enrolled themselves and their children, believing in the effort. 

REC staff is also participating in Neighborhood Health Plan marketing activities to increase recognition of CurrentCare and obtain new enrollments. If you work in a Health Center and see your friendly CurrentCare RIQI staff, say hello!

For more information about CurrentCare's online enrollment campaign or if would like us to participate in your event, please contact Brian Miller at 401-276-9141 x 286, or drop him an email at bmiller@riqi.org.

 
Thousands turned out for the Neighborhood Health Plan Back-to-School event.
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Top 5 Viewer Tips - REGISTER HERE
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 - 12:15-12:30 pm 
 
If you missed some of our Quick Bites sessions, tune in to learn about the Top 5 favorite Viewer features most often used by our practices.  You'll learn how these tips and shortcuts can help you get the information you need without chasing down results, reordering tests, or waiting for faxes from other providers.


 

a8The New England QIN-QIO: PQRS/VM Q&A Corner August 2015

Most physician practices not ready for ICD-10

Workgroup for electronic data interchange survey illustrates need to increase compliance promotion
  • Fewer than 50% of practices said they would not be ready for ICD-10 by October 1
  • Only 20% of practices say they have started or completed testing. Full story here 

PCPs' views of recent trends in healthcare delivery and payment

Finding from Commonwealth Fund/Kaiser Family Foundation 2015 survey of PCPs
  • PCPs have mixed feelings about changes in health care
  • Survey highlights the changing primary care practice environment
  • Providers generally positive regarding impact of HIT on quality of care - more divided on the increased use of medical homes and accountable care organizations. Full story here

Countdown to ICD-10

MLN connects national provider call          Thursday, August 27, 2015; 2:30-4pm ET
Sue Bowman from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and Nelly Leon-Chisen from the American Hospital Association (AHA) will be joining us with coding guidance and tips, along with updates from CMS.
Space may be limited, register early MLN Connects Event Registration

Share your story: The NE QIN-QIO wants to share your success stories with the nation

The QIO Program National Learning Series offers virtual training to healthcare providers
The first in a series of webinars - The QIO Program in Action: National Benefits, Local Support - was held on August 4. Future presentations will spotlight improvement stories by provider practices.

Send us your:
  • Promising practices
  • Successes
  • Improvement stories
  • Innovative ideas
Next in the Series: 
Unleashing the Power of Data Register Now
Tuesday, November 3, 2015 | 3:00-4:00pm ET
Do you have a question?
Helpful articles & tools
Please submit your
PQRS/VM questions to
neqinqio@healthcentricadvisors.org.
You will receive a direct response. Questions & Answers that are of more global interest will be posted in this corner and serve to inform future NE QIN-QIO informational webinars.

 


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Rhode Island Medical Society Journal: August Edition

RIQI is pleased to share the latest edition of the Rhode Island Medical Journal, the monthly publication of the Rhode Island Medical Society. 

 

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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 health care in Rhode Island. To learn more, visit www.TransformYourPracticeRI.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. 

 

REConnection is intended to provide the Rhode Island healthcare community and other interested stakeholders with timely news and information about RI REC's programs, resources, and educational activities that support the adoption of health information technology.


To learn more about participating in RI REC's Health IT Adoption, HIE/CurrentCare, and Direct Adoption Programs, please call  888-924-4156 or write to rirec@riqi.org.