NEWS
STHL Hosts 40+ for Meaningful Use Reception
1/27/2011
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 STHLs offices in the Lackawanna train station in downtown Binghamton on Thursday evening January 27, 2011. The event featured a presentation by Paul Wilder, Director of Healthcare IT Adoption for the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), on Electronic Healthcare 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 records systems and are considering EHRs to those currently using EHRs with more involved questions regarding Meaningful Use qualification for Federal incentives that can exceed $60,000 per provider.
Paul Wilder, NYeC Director of Healthcare IT Adoption based in New York City, discussed the 2009 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that authorized financial incentives to physician and hospital providers who demonstrate the Meaningful Use of an Electronic Healthcare 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.
Wilder commented, "I am excited to watch EHR adoption rates approach the adoption tipping point and that so many providers are interested in Electronic Healthcare 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."
Southern Tier HealthLink (sthlny.com) was established with leadership and support from UHS, Lourdes Hospital and other stakeholders in 2005. STHL is a non-profit organization designed as a partnership which brings together healthcare providers and consumers in Central New York to connect the dots with technology that will improve health care quality, access and safety while reducing costs. For more information contact Christina Galanis at .
