Newswise — The process to transform medicine through the use of electronic health record systems has taken a big step in the southern region of Texas with the opening of a new center to help frontline healthcare providers utilize these innovative systems. It is called the Gulf Coast Regional Extension Center (GCREC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and its enrollment period for eligible practitioners started Sept. 7.
Electronic health record (EHR) systems can make records more accessible to patients and healthcare providers, improve the quality and safety of care and cut costs by reducing duplicate tests. President Barack Obama has said he wants all Americans to have electronic health records by 2014 and there are federal incentives intended to expand the use of health information technology.
The GCREC’s staff can help eligible primary care physicians (pediatricians, internists, family practitioners and obstetricians-gynecologists), nurse practitioners and physician assistants make the most of an existing e-health record system or select and transition their practice to a cutting-edge, electronic system.
The GCREC is one of 60 Regional Extension Centers (RECs) nationwide, of which four are in Texas. It serves primary care practitioners in Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Houston, San Antonio, Victoria and other cities in the southern region of Texas. RECs are supported with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Kim Dunn, M.D., Ph.D., executive director of the GCREC and assistant professor at the UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics, said the GCREC is focusing on primary care practitioners because in many instances they are the patient’s first contact with the healthcare system.
“Everything starts with the primary care practitioner,” Dunn said. “When a primary care practitioner implements an electronic health record system, he or she can make this information accessible to authorized healthcare providers through highly secure systems. Should a patient require emergency care or seek care in another state, critical background information on the patient can be securely accessed in a moment’s notice. This is particularly true in our region along the Gulf Coast starting every June 1 with the arrival of Hurricane Season.”
In the Lone Star State, many healthcare practitioners are embracing the move to e-health record systems. A 2009 online survey of Texas physicians by the Texas Medical Association (TMA) revealed that 43 percent reported using electronic medical records, which represents a 16 percent increase from an another survey conducted four years earlier. In addition, 41 percent wanted to implement electronic medical records.
“This is a great opportunity to help primary care clinicians adopt electronic medical record systems. To take advantage of funding assistance from the federal government, clinics must install these systems and use them in a number of ways to facilitate care delivery,” said Lewis E. Foxhall, M.D., a member of the GCREC Medical Advisory Board, vice president of health policy at The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center and a TMA Board of Trustee. “TMA will provide support to the RECs and the physician board members will give input and guidance to work toward implementation strategies that make sense for our patients and the clinicians who serve them.”
Vaunette Fay, Ph.D., a member of the GCREC Medical Advisory Board and professor at the UTHealth School of Nursing, said nurse practitioners will play a major part in providing primary care as the country moves into healthcare reform. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced degrees and provide a wide range of healthcare services.
“We will be very involved in the incorporation of these electronic health record systems into practices,” said Fay, who is a family practice nurse practitioner. “It is a big investment of time and finances for small practices to convert to an electronic health record system. It can slow you down during the implementation process. But in the long run, it will help in the management of the practice.”
In addition to its primary office in Houston, the GCREC has a regional office in Brownsville managed by Joseph McCormick, M.D., James H. Steele Professor and regional dean of the UTHealth School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus.
The GCREC will provide primary care practitioners with on-site technical assistance, as well as help with vendor selection, project management and workforce development. Participating practitioners will receive 20 hours of continuing education.
GCREC staff can help shorten the learning curve for practitioners implementing an e-health record system by conducting a workflow analysis for a practitioner that will aid in the selection of an appropriate, certified EHR system.
“One of the most important benefits is that the RECs will help restore integrity to the doctor-patient relationship by giving practitioners and patients access to the right data at the right time,” Dunn said. “RECs will help practitioners take patient data and translate that into information that’s actionable. Having the resources to provide patients with the best possible care will foster trust in the healthcare delivery system.”
The GCREC staff can help eligible practitioners qualify for federal incentives for the meaningful use of e-health record systems. Practitioners could be eligible for Medicare incentives of up to $44,000 and Medicaid incentives of up to $63,750. There is an annual enrollment fee of $300 for the GCREC services.
The GCREC’s goal is to enroll 2,855 eligible primary healthcare providers in the south region of Texas in the first year and to ensure participants are using those systems meaningfully by 2012.
The GCREC was designed to help people like Amanda Ritzen who manages information technology for a physician group in Weimar, a town of about 2,000 midway between Houston and San Antonio. “The practice has had electronic records since 2002. I think the REC can help us be more efficient,” said Ritzen, who serves at the Youens & Duchicela Clinic.
In Texas, the GCREC is joined by three other regional extension centers at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Texas A&M University and the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council Education and Research Foundation. Collectively, the state RECs received $35.7 million, and there is a collaborative working group to coordinate their efforts.
Primary care practitioners can learn more about health information technology at the Texas Health IT Summit Sept. 30- Oct. 2 at The Westin Oaks in Houston. There will be conference sessions on e-prescribing, the definition of meaningful use, and health information exchange. Online registration is available at: http://www.texashealthitsummit.org/
Visit the Gulf Coast Regional Extension Center for information on the GCREC. The link is http://www.uthouston.edu/gcrec/contact.htm
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