West Virginia has used a new grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to create the West Virginia Regional Health Information Technology Extension Center (WVRHITEC). The WVRHITEC will help health care providers in the state implement electronic health records (EHRs) through expert assistance and technical services, Governor Joe Manchin announced.

Several million in federal funds will be used in the center in upcoming years to promote the adoption and "meaningful use" of certified health information (HIT) technology, including EHRs. Participating providers may then be eligible for $44,000 or $63,750 in future federal Medicare/Medicaid incentive payments to offset the costs of implementing an EHR system.

"West Virginia remains a national leader in the adoption of health information technology, and this statewide HIT extension center will be another key component of our ongoing efforts to use technology to improve the health of our citizens," said Gov. Joe Manchin in a press release. "This project is the latest example of how West Virginia is working to modernize its health care delivery system in order to improve overall health care, enhance efficiencies and facilitate greater information-sharing between physicians and patients."

The WVRHITEC has a website up, http://www.wvrhitec.org/, where providers can join. The annual membership fee is $300 per provider. The WVRHITEC site highlights three groups that can particularly benefit from membership, including priority training and some services at subsidized rates. Those are primary care providers, rural and community health care centers and primary care physicians working with critical access hospitals. The services participating providers can access include:

--Consultation and assistance with EHR implementation (use, upgrading and maintenance);

--Guidance and training on "meaningful use," including the incentive payments;

--Hosted EHR systems (certified);

--Development of health data analysis, extraction and report applications;

--Integration of HIT into health care professionals' training;

--Training on HIPAA, security, data storage;

--Group purchasing opportunities;

--Support for participation in health information exchanges;

--Dissemination of best practices.

U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) also championed the WVRHITEC's creation. "Electronic health records have the power to transform our health care system," said Rockefeller, who authored the Health Information Technology Public Utility Act of 2009. "The extension center will make it easier for doctors and medical professionals from Martinsburg to Madison to learn how to serve our patients better...The training is essential to our future, enabling the connection of our state doctors, hospitals, health centers and clinics so they can deliver services more efficiently, share critical health information in real time, decrease medical errors, and reduce hospital stays."

Adapted in part from Gov. Manchin's press release.

Link: http://www.wvgov.org/sec.aspx?id=32&articleid=2033

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