34 providers in Pacific Northwest receive EMR grants

A public-private partnership in the Pacific Northwest has chosen 34 mostly small and rural healthcare providers to receive up to $20,000 each to help purchase EMRs and other health IT. Many of the recipients--practices, community clinics and hospitals--are participating in Washington state's Patient-Centered Medical Home Collaborative project.

"We wish to continue the support of smaller practices with their technological advancement, but also want to help with the development of the Patient-Centered Medical Home model of care," says Bob Hinman, vice president of First Choice Health, one of the organizations that make up the Washington Health Information Collaborative, the group that is providing the grants. Other participants include the Washington State Health Care Authority, the Puget Sound Health Alliance and Qualis Health. The program stretches beyond the borders of the Evergreen State, into Idaho, Oregon and Alaska.

The grants aim to ensure patient safety and reduce costs by giving doctors ready access to patient records, as well as offer an aggregated database to help in quality improvement efforts.

For more:
- read the Washington Health Information Collaborative press release

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