Leveraging REACH Services to Achieve Meaningful Use

Minnesota has been a leader in health information technology (HIT) adoption in physician offices. Its providers are savvy about leveraging resources to improve care, and they work collaboratively, benefitting the whole as well as themselves.

The Regional Extension Assistance Center for HIT (REACH) is the latest resource available to providers working to achieve meaningful use of their electronic health records (EHR) and earn incentive payments.

Starting in May, providers will be able to register for REACH technical assistance services. Information from registration will be used to calculate eligibility for discounted services, based on federal formulas for type of organization and number of providers per organization. Qualifying organizations can receive services at up to a 90 percent discount. REACH funding cannot be used to purchase technology.

REACH is a the federally funded HIT regional extension center providing technical assistance in preparing for, selecting, implementing, and optimizing adoption of EHR. As a companion to the Medicare and Medicaid incentives, the HIT REC program assists primary care providers in achieving meaningful use of their EHR, enabling eligible providers to earn Medicare/Medicaid incentive payments.

Key Health Alliance (KHA) and its North Dakota team—North Dakota Health Care Review and University of North Dakota, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Center for Rural Health—are developing the program’s infrastructure. Two state-specific councils also have provided input on program design and will continue to guide the REACH program.

REACH Regions of Service >

REACH approach

REACH services are available to Minnesota and North Dakota providers of all types, sizes, and locations across the continuum of care, both with and without an EHR. For providers not eligible for incentives and priority primary care providers after the first two years, the fee scale will be based on services needed. The program uses a process consultation approach, focused on providing the skills and tools to providers to make their own changes in an informed and sustainable way.

While technology is important, the critical factors for success are the organizational change factors—leadership, culture, process and workflow re-design. REACH will focus on these organizational changes.

REACH technical assistance is a mix of individualized on-site assistance with direct hands-on support, consultations, and group learning collaboratives.

Milestones

The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) will release funding to KHA incrementally as participating primary care providers reach the following milestones toward meaningful use.

1. Provider agreement between a health care practice and a regional extension center is signed.
2. A practice and its associated providers are actively utilizing e-prescribing and quality reporting measures, such as disease registries.
3. A practice and its associated providers have met meaningful use, based on the CMS standard. The meaningful use definition is currently being promulgated.
   

To be successful, REACH staff will be working side by side with providers and practices.

Key Health Alliance is a partnership of Stratis Health, Rural Health Resource Center, and The College of St. Scholastica. REACH is a project federally funded through ONC.