sthlny.com

February 2011

In This Issue
SAVE THE DATE!
EHR Meaningful Use Seminar at STHL
ONC Releases Survey Results
Consent Update
In the Community
Quick Links
  
  
  

 

Save the Date:

April 29 EHR and Meaningful Use Summit

 

STHL and the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) are co-hosting a day-long Summit on Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Meaningful Use on April 29 at Traditions at the Glen in Johnson City.  The Summit is targeted at providers who are considering changing from a paper-based records practice to an EHR, plus those providers who have made the change to EHRs and are working toward Meaningful Use.  Participants will learn about resources that are available to help them qualify for the sizeable federal government incentives that are being offered - potentially from  $44,000 to a maximum of $63,750 per provider. 

 

EHR vendors will be available to discuss their products and services.  The event will start with registration and breakfast at 7:30 AM and end with closing remarks and door prize drawing at 3:00 PM.  

 

Presentations will be on several tracks depending on the attendees' individual situation with EHR adoption, and will feature both local, state and regional US experts.  For a preliminary agenda and to register, go to www.nyehealth.org.  

 

Remember -- Save the Date!

EHR and Meaningful Use Summit

Friday, April 29

Traditions at the Glen

Paul Wilder, NYeC,

Director IT Adoption

Meaningful Use Seminar Draws Over 40 Medical Professionals  

 

In conjunction with the Broome County Medical Society, Southern Tier HealthLink (STHL) hosted a seminar for physicians, their office managers and other medical practitioners at STHL's offices in the Lackawanna train station in downtown Binghamton on Thursday evening, January 27, 2011. The event featured presentations on Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption and implementation, access to incentives for achievement of Meaningful Use criteria, and support resources available locally.

Attendees ranged from those who still have paper-based record systems and are considering EHRs, to those currently using EHRs and have more involved questions about Meaningful Use criteria for Federal incentives.  

Paul Wilder, NYeC Director of Health IT Adoption based in New York City, discussed the 2009 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that authorized financial incentives to physicians and hospital providers who demonstrate the Meaningful Use of an Electronic Health Record.  He provided an update on Meaningful Use and available incentives as well as New York State plans for support and integration of systems statewide and nationally.  Christina Galanis, STHL Executive Director, overviewed STHL, provided an update on local participating providers and highlighted bi-directional and web portal access resources currently available to the regional medical community.  For additional information on how STHL can help your practice get started with an EHR, go to sthlny.com, or call .

Christina Galanis,

STHL Executive Director


Wilder commented, "I am excited to watch EHR adoption rates approach the adoption tipping point and that so many providers are interested in Electronic Health Records." Galanis added, "It is rewarding to see providers and the community at large benefit from both the improved care and the reduced costs offered by adoption of our Health Information Exchange."

Click here for a useful fact sheet.

Helpful Information on Meaningful Use
The official website of the EHR Incentive Programs (Federal):
http://www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms/

Helpful educational materials from the federal CMS website: http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/55_EducationalMaterials.asp#TopOfPage


Office of the National Coordinator Releases H.I.T. Survey Results
  
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released survey results in January that indicate an encouraging sign that healthcare delivery organizations plan to get on board with the government's Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.  The ONC commissioned the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct the research.  Both organizations monitor trends in EHR adoption.
  
The survey results reflect a reversal from national EHR adoption trends in recent years.  According to the study: 
  • 81% of hospitals are planning to apply for federal incentive payments for EHR adoption.
  • 41% of practices are planning to apply for federal incentive payments for EHR adoption.
  • 65% of hospitals are planning to enroll for Stage 1 incentive payments in  2011-2012.
  • 32.4% of practices are planning to enroll for Stage 1 incentive payments in 2011-2012.

Eligible hospitals could receive millions of dollars for implementing and meaningfully using certified EHR technology, and practices are eligible for as much as $44,000 per physician under Medicare or $63,750 under Medicaid.

 

To help organizations install EHR and comply with meaningful use standards, 62 regional extension centers across the nation offer customized support and assistance, especially for smaller-practice primary care providers and for small hospitals and clinics.  For all of Upstate New York, go to www.nyecrec.org, or contact New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) at: 

 

New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC)
220 Church Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10013-2988

 

 

Patient Consent Continues to Grow
  
Healthcare consumers continue to show excitement for Southern Tier HealthLink's health information exchange (HIE).  To date, over 48,000 consent forms have been collected, with only 2.3 percent choosing not to participate.  Soon, several more sites will begin accepting patient consent:  
  
UHS Emergency Rooms at Binghamton General Hospital 
and Wilson Medical Center

Lourdes Primary Care outpatient labs as follows-
  

 Center for Family Health  (303 Main Street, Binghamton)

 Associates in Family Medicine (105 Ridgehaven Drive, Vestal)

 Primary Care Associates (415 E. Main Street, Endicott)

 Owego Family Practice (500 5th Avenue, Owego)

 Primary Care Associates (20-24 S. Washington Street, Binghamton)

 Family Practice (1130 Upper Front Street)

 

For more information about how your healthcare practice can access the HIE, or questions about consent, call , or visit https://sthlny.com/Consent-Information.asp

John Hayek, Project Coordinator, with Board Member Keith Chadwick

STHL Outreach at Senators Hockey, BU Bearcats Basketball Games

 

Southern Tier HealthLink continued its community outreach work this month with exhibits at the January 29 Binghamton Senators hockey game and at the February 5 (Men's) and February 12 (Women's) Binghamton University Bearcats basketball games.  In addition to building general awareness for the benefits of our Health Information Exchange (HIE), we continue to reinforce the importance of healthcare consumers signing consent forms to allow their providers to access their electronic health records that are stored in the HIE. 


On January 29, STHL took advantage of American Heart Association night to reach out to a crowd that exceeded 4,000 hockey fans.  Our presence at the Broome County Arena was further reinforced with a program advertisement and our logo with the "Connecting the Dots" message on a rinkside dasher board.


In February, STHL is partnering with UHS to share table space at two Bearcats basketball games on the Binghamton University campus.  In addition to educating consumers who are hearing about the HIE and its benefits for the first time, we often talk with both consumers and healthcare professionals who tell us of their experiences with the HIE and how beneficial they have found it to be in their lives.


Up next: Look for the STHL booth at the February 26 B-Sens hockey game with the Rochester Americans. 

 

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STHL STAFF

 

Executive Director

Christina Galanis

 

Deputy Director
Emily Pape


Project Coordinators

Paul Almy
John Hayek
Dennis Sherba

Database Coordinator
Kirsten Griffin

Administrative Consultant
Carolyn Stanford

Help Desk Support Specialist
Chris Yale


Staff Accountant

Michelle Cleveland


Administrative Secretary

Judy Selby

 

 

 

 

STHL is a non-profit organization designed as a partnership which brings together healthcare providers and consumers in Central New York with technology that will improve health care quality, access, and safety while reducing costs.
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