BUFFALO, NY – A physician group in New York is rolling out a new electronic health record and patient management system with plans to integrate with the regional health information organization HEALTHeLINK.
CIPA Western New York IPA, Inc., a partnership between the Buffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health System and a network of associated physicians, purchased 150 new electronic health record licenses from Westborough, Mass.-based eClinicalWorks that officials said will be implemented in physician practices.
“With ‘meaningful use’ of an EHR, in conjunction with office-based disease management, physicians will have the necessary tools to provide high quality care with lower costs,” said Michael Edbauer, MD, vice president of clinical affairs at CIPA WNY IPA. “The EHR provides the technological support to provide assistance such as clinical reminder systems, which increase the likelihood that patients receive needed and recommended care.”
Officials said the IPA has provided some incentives to its members in order to stimulate this adoption process which has resulted in doubling the adoption rate of that of the rest of the country, says Dennis Horrigan, president and CEO of CIPA WNY IPA.
The IPA plans to host the solution for its members and use a Software-as-a-Service model to provide security measures for personal health data being accessed.
“The EHR/PM solution diminishes variability in care that may occur,” said Edbauer. “The EHR also provides an organized database to improve the communication as it relates to patient care. This is becoming even more important as the model of care is transforming from episodic care to the overall care of the patient.”
The system’s implementation is expected to involve a small team of IT experts, said eClinicWorks Co-founder and CEO Girish Navani.
He said they will be asking the practices to “shed 15 percent of the patient load for training.”
CIPA officials are also looking to integrate with HEALTHeLINK.
“The connectivity to RHIOs enhance communication beyond the physicians practice, potentially linking this information and communication between physician practices, hospitals, home care and all other areas of the healthcare delivery sysem,” said Edbauer.
