January 6, 2011 - Missouri Critical Access Hospitals considering the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) now have a new handy tool to help them understand what steps to take to successfully tackle EHRs. The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) has created a primer that introduces Critical Access Hospitals to a broad spectrum of health information technology (HIT) adoption issues and considerations. It identifies open-ended questions that will help CAHs define their own roadmap for meaningful use of an electronic health record (EHR) system. Topics include:
- Evaluating readiness
- Assembling multidisciplinary teams
- Reviewing current processes review
- Identifying goals and objectives
- Determining HIT/EHR needs
- Selecting vendors and products that fit HIT/EHR needs of CAHs
The Primer is meant for wide dissemination and can be downloaded off the HRSA ORHP website at:
http://www.hrsa.gov/ruralhealth/pdf/meaningfuluseprimer.pdf
Critical Access Hospitals may also be eligible for EHR adoption support from the Missouri Health Information Technology (MO HIT) Assistance Center. The MO HIT Assistance Center core services include outreach and education and technical assistance for EHR selection, implementation, and the achievement of meaningful use. The MO HIT Assistance Center's affiliation with group purchasing organizations provides discounted fee-based services to eligible hospitals to support EHR and HIE goals.
For more information about the MO HIT Assistance Center and EHR adoption in Missouri, please contact us:
Website: http://www.EHRhelp.missouri.edu
Toll-free: (877) 882-9933
E-mail: EHRhelp@missouri.edu
