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April 23 - Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative Extends Electronic Health Records Pilot Program

The Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative (MAeHC) has announced the extension of its electronic health record (EHR) pilot program. Thanks to efficient project management, funds remain from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts grant originally intended to finance the program through June 2008. Using the surplus, the MAeHC is offering the participating medical practices the option to continue with certain aspects of the pilot until the end of the year, most notably participation in the health information exchange (HIE).

The extension of the pilot benefits the practices and the pilot initiative itself. “We are extending the program at a critical juncture for the program’s practices,” reports MaeHC President and CEO Micky Tripathi. “These technologies are difficult to get up and running, and it takes time for physicians to fully incorporate these new functions into their day-to-day care processes. With six additional months of support, we expect to see increased utilization and adoption of both the EHRs and the HIE which, in the end, will lead to higher-value care for the citizens of Brockton, Newburyport, and North Adams.”

One hundred thirty medical practices in three communities (Brockton, Newburyport, and North Adams) are involved in the MAeHC pilot project. Four hundred seventeen of the 435 participating physicians are live on EHRs. HIEs are being rolled out in Brockton and Newburyport while the North Adams HIE has been live for almost one year. In a recent survey conducted by the MAeHC, 86% of clinicians reported that they expect to be able to provide higher quality care with the EHRs.

Source: Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative

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