OHIP and Regional Partners Serve as Physician Resource for Electronic Health Records; Regional Key Contacts Available

The recent release of federal standards defining what constitutes the “meaningful use” of an electronic health record (EHR) will require Ohio physicians to evaluate and define how they will use these systems in their practice.

Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP) and its seven regional partners are resources that can help physicians with that interpretation and implementation.

A map of the seven regional partners and key contacts is available.

OHIP is working in cooperation with seven regional partners to help health care providers overcome these problems with the overall goal of increasing the adoption – and successful use – of EHRs in Ohio.

The services that will be offered by OHIP and its regional partners, many of which are free, will include:

• Helping practices identify and address practice-specific technical and functional requirements that may serve as barriers to EHR adoption 
• Assisting practices in the selection and acquisition of a certified EHR. OHIP has evaluated dozens of EHR systems and will be releasing a list of recommended vendors, based on the assessment of how well it performs and how well it will help physicians meet identified criteria in order to qualify for federal financial incentives 
• Helping practices maximize all of the benefits associated with the use of an EHR, including better patient care and improved financial performance 
• Providing practices access to low-cost loans to enable them to purchase an EHR 
• Serving as liaison between the practices and EHR vendors regarding the technical assistance they need to “go live.”

OHIP is a non-profit entity which has been designated by the state and federal governments to advance the adoption, implementation and meaningful use of health information technology (HIT) among health care providers in Ohio. OHIP was formed, in part, because the problems associated with successfully selecting and implementing an EHR have served as a significant factor in limiting the growth of EHRs in Ohio and across the country.

OAFP Past President Dr. Brian Bachelder serves on the OHIP board representing OAFP and Ohio State Medical Association.

For more information on OHIP, please visit its Web site or contact Director of Communications Megan Smith.