Information Technology
The State of Minnesota has mandated
that all health providers have
an Electronic Health Record (EHR)
system, replacing paper records, by
January 2015. As more health care providers
begin using EHRs and as payers begin requiring
their use, community clinics will need
EHR tools that fit their unique practices
and needs.
Many clinics in the state and in the Network
are already deploying such systems,
but they are expensive—$20,000 or more
per physician in a practice. For community
clinics, financing these systems is a huge
challenge.
The Network currently provides electronic
practice-management technology
to five member clinics, keeping costs low
through economies of scale. Building on this
system, the Network is working with three
of these organizations to implement an EHR
system in 2009. In the future, data from these
systems will be used to improve clinical quality
and operational efficiency. The Network
is also working with clinic members already
on EHR systems to coordinate shared learning
and explore data exchange across the
systems.
For more information on this business area, please contact:
Joe Kalaidis, Director of Health Information Services at joe.kalaidis@nhcn.org
|
