Services We Provide
“Regional extension centers will provide the needed hands-on, field support for all health care providers to advance the rapid adoption and use of health IT. RECs are a vital part of our overall efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of health care through the effective use of health IT.”
-Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health IT
NEOHC REC is positioned to be the advocate for the physician. The NEOHC REC consultant will walk the physician through a three phase process: Phase 1 - assessment and workflow; Phase 2 - selection, adoption, implementation, and go live; and Phase 3 - achievement of meaningful use. The physician, with the NEOHC REC's help, will be able to make informed decisions every step of the way
Each phase is conducted with proven tools and resources that ensure physicians and their staff are prepared for each stage of EHR adoption and the achievement of meaningful use.
Engagement
NEOHC REC starts with a kickoff meeting that explains roles and responsibilities of the physician, EHR vendor and the role of the REC consultant. The provider (physician) assumes the role of the general contractor and ultimately selects the best EHR to meet their practice need while the vendor is responsible for implementation and training of the selected software. The REC Consultant steps the provider through the processes so that an informed decision is made.
Assessment
The NEOHC REC utilizes the Welch Allyn assessment tool to perform an assessment which results in a discussion that prepares the physician for coming changes to their practice. This tool helps the practice identify the following:
- Project objectives
- Provider and staff readiness
- Project timing
- Roles and responsibility
- Implementation strategy
- Hosting strategy
- Workflow discussion
- Transition of paper charts
- Provider and nursing data entry
- Device connectivity
- Prescription writing
- Billing and coding
- Document management
- Patient registration
- Capital investment
- Request for Quotation
NEOHC REC will start by updating providers on EHR capabilities and IT adoption processes, and work with the practice to discover their adoption objectives, set basic time lines, and assemble a project team of their staff.
Workflow
Following the completion of preparatory work, NEOHC REC and practice staff will then work with the provider to map the practice’s current workflow so as to identify requirements for the EHR system, discover process enhancements, develop targeted office redesign strategies, and prepare for change within the practice.
The NEOHC REC will walk through the process of identifying the practice’s current processes. In addition, we will identify a process such as ePrescribe in a manual current state process and then contrast that against what the new automated future state might look like.
Selection
Having completed a comprehensive review of the practice’s workflow to identify selection criteria, NEOHC REC will support the practice in identifying the best product to achieve its goals and fulfill the meaningful use criteria. The physician will utilize the Welch Allyn tool to create a request for quotation to vendors that the practice has interest. To aid in that process we’ll provide the OHIP preferred vendor list and local resources available to your practice to expedite your independent review and selection process.
The NEOHC REC will coach the practice through the negotiation process and review physician selected proposals so the physician understands the deliverables that they are purchasing. Specifically, the NEOHC REC will step the provider through the list of deliverables so that the practice understands what they are purchasing.
Implementation
The NEOHC REC consultant reviews and monitors the vendor’s implementation plan. Our oversight is intended to support the practice’s objectives and ensure that the implementation is in line with industry best-practices so as to support effective and expedient EHR use and higher practice productivity.
Meaningful Use
Once the implementation is complete, NEOHC REC will support providers as they begin leveraging the EHR tool to actively manage patient populations, support effective care delivery, enhance business operations, facilitate interoperability and information exchange, and improve health outcomes.NEOHC REC consultant will then assist practices in identifying and achieving the best-fit meaningful use criteria that will qualify them for Medicare/Medicaid EHR incentive payments.
