News | June 8, 2010

Connecting Regional Extension Centers To Comprehensive Information Technology Resources

Since the May launch of its new, complimentary Affiliate membership program for R.E.C.s, 10 regional extension centers have joined HIMSS.

The program is designed to assist R.E.C.s in their mission to equip thousands of priority practitioners, and rural, underserved, and critical access hospitals, to meet the requirements of Meaningful Use.

Each R.E.C. can access complimentary resources through its HIMSS Affiliate membership that includes individual memberships and HIMSS11 conference registrations for its leadership and staff, as well as a report from HIMSS Analytics on the purchase and implementation of IT within acute and ambulatory facilities. Participating R.E.C.s' provider communities receive complimentary registrations for year-round educational webinars and the semi-annual HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo. R.E.C.s can benefit from participation in the broad-reach of HIMSS's grassroots communities, including regionally based education within the 46 US chapters and the HIMSS Regional Roundtable.

Ten regional extension centers have joined the program. They are:

  • HITArkansas
  • Colorado Regional Extension Center
  • Illinois Health Information Tech Regional Extension Center
  • CHITREC
  • HealthBridge
  • Massachusetts eHealth Institute
  • Wide River Technology Extension Center
  • Monroe County Medical Society
  • North Texas Regional Extension Center
  • Michigan Center for Effective IT Adoption

"We have the educational, professional development and community-building resources to help the regional extension centers move forward the adoption and use of health IT in their support of more than 100,000 primary care providers over the next two years," says H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, HIMSS President and CEO. "We are honored to offer the tools needed by R.E.C.s and the providers they serve."

As background, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorized a Health Information Technology Extension program that includes the establishment of 60 regional extension centers, each serving a defined geographic area. In two years, the R.E.C.s must support 100,000 primary care physicians and provide technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices to help these clinicians become meaningful users of EHRs, according to ARRA guidelines.

About HIMSS

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is a comprehensive healthcare-stakeholder membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, Singapore, and other locations across the United States, HIMSS represents more than 29,000 individual members, of which 73% work in patient care delivery settings. HIMSS also includes over 380 corporate members and nearly 30 not-for-profit organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its educational, professional development, and advocacy initiatives designed to promote information and management systems' contributions to ensuring quality patient care. For more information, visit www.himss.org.

SOURCE: The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society