How To Help The Alabama Regional Extension Center

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1 From: Lee Libby Fax number: Alabama Regional Extension Center 307 University Blvd. TRP III, Suite 1100 Mobile, Alabama Regarding: Alabama Regional Extension Center (ALREC) Phone number for follow-up: The University of South Alabama is one of 60 nonprofit organizations selected nationwide by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to receive an Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center award. The grant is administered through the HHS's Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The grant is being used to establish the Alabama Regional Extension Center (ALREC), which will serve as an advocate for Alabama physicians and deliver services to assist in achieving Meaningful Use status. Partners in this consortium include Alabama Medicaid Agency, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Auburn University, Alabama Primary Healthcare Association, Childersburg Area Rural Health Network and JHD Group. All providers are invited to join ALREC and receive deep discounts on hardware and software, assistance with education and training, assistance with front office process redesign and more. If you are in a practice of 10 or fewer providers specializing in primary care, family practice, OB, Gyn, geriatrics or internal medicine, you may qualify to join the ALREC at a lowered annual fee. Please feel free to reach out directly to me for more information. Lee Libby llibby@jhdgroup.com Funded by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Health Information Technology Extension Program Regional Centers EP-HIT CFDA #93.718

2 AlabamaRegional Extension Center (ALREC) Dan Roach III, MD Director, ALREC Director of Medical Informatics, CSHI Assistant Dean, College of Medicine University of South Alabama November 2, 2010

3 Funding and Partners Funding is provided by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Health Information Technology Extension Program Regional Centers EP-HIT (CFDA #93.718) $7.9 million awarded (Initial 2-Year Project Period) $4,993 per PPCP for direct technical assistance $12,000-per rural and critical access hospital The University of South Alabama, Alabama Medicaid Agency, Alabama Primary Health Care Association, Auburn University, Medical Association of the State of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, JHD Group, Management and Medical Consulting Services, Inc. 2

4 Goals and Objectives Directly serve 1,304 PPCPs, which represents 12.5% of the practicing physicians in Alabama (1304/10,700) to achieve MU Create a long-term program for all providers (sustainability) Services and expertise up to and beyond MU Communities of practice Accountability for vendors Specialized data/information for Alabama providers Strategically align ALREC activities with the State plan for Health Information Exchange (HIE) Advocacy regarding member technology configurations in the development of Alabama s HIE Interfaces to enable access to health history, recent lab and imaging results, hospital records, medications prescribed and other key information 3

5 ALREC Services Need an EHR? Help to choose the right EHR software and hardware Discounted pricing and terms for preferred vendors Highly skilled project management to oversee the entire process Have an EHR? Education and specialized training on EHRs and meaningful use Assistance with connectivity and interoperability Tailored, practice management services to help you transform your practice 4

6 Range of Services Functioning Well Have EHR No EHR Not Functioning Well Want EHR Needs Unsure Services Group purchasing X X X Price discounts X X X Financing advocacy X Education/Training X X X Workflow analysis X X Realizing meaningful use X X X Interfaces to HIEs X X X Security assessments X X X Communities of Practice & Intellectual Capital X X Additional Services X X 5

7 Role of ALREC Labs Vendor 2 Vendor 9 Alabama Providers Vendor 3 Hosting Solution A Vendor 6 Vendor 10 Vendor 4 Vendor 5 Vendor 1 Hosting Solution C Hosting Solution B Vendor 7 Vendor 8 6

8 Role of ALREC, cont. Federal Requirements and Incentives Hosting Solutions Vendor 1 Vendor 2 Vendor 3 Vendor 4 Vendor 5 Vendor 6 Vendor 7 Vendor 8 Vendor 9 Vendor 10 Incentive & Requirements Specialists Hosting Specialists EHR Software Specialists Interface Specialists Hospital Liasons ALREC Practice Management Specialists Alabama Providers 7

9 Contact Us Alabama Regional Extension Center 307 University Blvd. TRP III, Suite 1100 Mobile, Alabama Funded by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Health Information Technology Extension Program Regional Centers EP-HIT CFDA #

10 Group Purchasing EHR Vendor Selection & Group Purchasing Financing Advocacy Education / Training Workflow Analysis and Project Management Realizing Meaningful Use ALREC will assist PPCPs in assessing their health IT needs and negotiate with vendors for EHR software, hardware, network infrastructure and IT services ALREC will select qualified EHR vendors, negotiate purchasing discounts and value added services on behalf of the providers ALREC will work with funding agencies to ensure they are informed of potential funding, incentives, state and federal directives in order to assure and accelerate the application and approval processes Educate providers about effective strategies and best practices to select, implement, and meaningfully use certified EHR technology Provide materials, consulting, training events and programs for PPCPs and their support staff: EHR 101 Resource requirements Operational risks and mitigations Expected investment requirements Opportunities for revenue enhancement Long-term benefits and impact of EHR on revenue, patient service, and clinical quality Overview of any State or Federal incentives Criteria for qualifying for such payments. Includes consultation, troubleshooting, and other activities required to assure that the PPCP is able to assess organizational readiness for health IT ALREC will provide project management support for the EHR implementation process, assess and remediate gaps in IT infrastructure, assist in the configuration of the software to meet practice needs and enable Meaningful Use, help to ensure adequate software training for all staff, and track and adhere to implementation timelines ALREC will assist PPCPs by reviewing the utilization of the EHRs within their Practices, and providing appropriate feedback and support to improve low utilization of features essential for Meaningful Use (e.g. electronic prescribing). ALREC will also help PPCPs understand and implement technology and process changes needed to attain Meaningful Use requirements and demonstrate this attainment, as defined by the Secretary through Medicare and Medicaid regulations and guidance.

11 Health Information Exchange (HIE) Security Assessments Communities of Practice & Intellectual Capital ALREC will assist PPCPs in connecting to available HIE infrastructure(s). Includes local HIE organizations, state-based shared utilities or directory services, and the State plans for HIE. Assessments can address implementation and maintenance of physical and network security, access controls, disaster recovery, encryption and storage of backup media, human resources training and policies; and adherence to state laws and regulatory requirements that impact privacy and security policies for electronic interoperable health information exchange Access and participation in communities of practice Access to intellectual capital Additional User participation in vendor scoring regarding delivery of services, services training, adherence to timelines, etc. Purchase of additional services, such as data warehousing and hosting network solutions as developed by ALREC Funded by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Health Information Technology Extension Program Regional Centers EP-HIT CFDA # Alabama Regional Extension Center 307 University Blvd. TRP III, Suite 1100 Mobile, Alabama