HIT Regional Extension Center

Stimulus dollars funding health information technology adoption

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (HITREC) are being developed through cooperative agreements, from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.

The Regional Centers are intended to provide education and technical assistance to help primary care providers in selecting, implementing, and achieving meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology, as well as the ability to exchange health information with other providers and agencies, with the aim of improving the quality and efficiency of care.

Achieving this goal will enable primary care providers to become eligible for incentive payments for their Medicare/Medicaid patients.

Key Health Alliance (KHA)—a partnership of Stratis Health, the Rural Health Resource Center, and The College of St. Scholastica—has submitted a proposal to serve as the Regional Extension Assistance Center for Health Information Technology (REACH) in Minnesota and North Dakota. REACH will have an emphasis in rural practice needs and small urban practices serving medically underserved patients and areas.

“Serving as the REACH will accelerate and expand the work that the three partners in Key Health Alliance are already deeply engaged in,” said Sue Severson, director of Health Information Technology Services at Stratis Health. “We each have successful track records in HIT education, training, and technical assistance—both on our own and in coordination with many other collaborators.”

Services will be available to providers of all types, sizes, and locations, both with and without an EHR, across the continuum of care. ONC has designated certain primary care providers as “priority primary care providers,” to receive federally subsidized technical assistance. Federally subsidized support is available for primary care practices of 10 or fewer clinicians (i.e., MD, DO, NP, PA).

REACH will help meet national HITREC goals by providing technical assistance services and support to 5,100 priority primary care providers over the next four years, with 3,600 priority primary care providers targeted in the first two years. KHA currently has commitment from 4,628 providers representing 417 practices in Minnesota and North Dakota. Based on the state populations and numbers of providers, REACH will impact more than 2.5 million health care consumers.

The Regional Centers will be established through four-year cooperative agreements, with 50 percent federal funding and 50 percent from participation fees and other grant funding.

In the first two years of the program, technical assistance will be subsidized for priority primary care providers, with approximately 90 percent of the funding for the Regional Center’s services coming from the grant and 10 percent from fees paid by participating providers. For all other providers, and for priority primary care providers after the first two years, there will be a fee scale based on the services needed.

Technical assistance and support from Regional Centers will focus on the following areas:

• Vendor selection and group purchasing
• Implementation and project management
• Practice and workflow redesign
• Functional interoperability and health information exchange (HIE)
• Privacy and security
• Progress toward meaningful use
• Local workforce support
  

A variety of associations and networks have committed to work with Key Health Alliance in this effort. REACH will coordinate closely with the state agencies and other organizations leading related ARRA efforts, as well as with North Dakota Health Care Review, University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health, and University of Minnesota, in planning and implementing REACH.

“Collectively, Key Health Alliance has served thousands of providers and organizations in HIT over the past five years,” noted Jennifer Lundblad, president and CEO of Stratis Health. “This track record reflects our readiness to be an HIT Regional Center.”

ONC expects to award contracts for the first round of applicants in mid-December. Work is anticipated to start in mid-January 2010 for Regional Centers selected in the first round.