RIQI's Regional Extension Center Expands Vendor Marketplace

More valuable resources to help providers implement Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and achieve Meaningful Use

The Rhode Island Quality Institute announced recently that its Rhode Island Regional Extension Center (RI REC) Vendor Marketplace has expanded to 24 pre-qualified EHR software vendors and technical service consultants.  RI REC is one of 62 RECs across the country that provide support to eligible primary care providers (PCPs) with EHR adoption and achievement of meaningful use.

“We are excited to expand our Vendor Marketplace with a new EHR Vendor and Technical Service Consultants who specialize in privacy and security,” stated Jennie Gordon, RIQI, Director, REC Program Management. “This provides Rhode Island physicians with additional choices to receive discounted products and services from experienced health IT organizations.  RIQI’s RI REC is currently assisting more than 1,000 Rhode Island physicians with EHR adoption and attaining meaningful use of their EHRs.”  Meaningful use is defined as the federal criteria for using EHRs in a way that demonstrates improved quality of care.  Providers who meet these criteria may also be eligible for RI REC subsidies and incentive payments from Medicare, Medicaid and others.  Through a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services, RI REC has funding available for a limited time to assist eligible Rhode Island PCPs in achieving Meaningful Use. Only 78 eligible provider slots remain available in the program. 

RI REC evaluates and pre-qualifies EHR software vendors and technical service consultants based on business stability, strategy to meet meaningful use objectives, and their experience in the RI healthcare market.  In addition, this select group of vendors offers pre-negotiated discounted pricing and is dedicated to helping providers save time as well as money and avoid common problems with implementation.

The EHR Software Vendors have grown to include Connect(x) Healthware.  Also new to the marketplace are the following Technical Service Consultants who will be providing Privacy & Security services: Arcadia Solutions, Compass IT Compliance, NetCenergy and Security Management Partners.

They join pre-qualified EHR software vendors:  Allscripts; Amazing Charts; Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, Inc., a NextGen Partner; CureMD; eClinicalWorks; Enable Healthcare, Inc.; GE Healthcare; Greenway Medical Technologies; OptumInsight; Medical Informatics Engineering, Inc.; MedInformatix, Inc.; NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc.; Polaris Medical Management, Inc.; and SuccessEHS.

Pre-qualified technical service consultants include:  Arcadia Solutions; Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, Inc.; General Technology Corp. (d/b/a CompUtopia); Healthcentric Advisors (formerly Quality Partners of Rhode Island); Lifespan/Physicians PSO; Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative; NetCenergy; Polaris Medical Management; and The Ficus Consulting Group.

For more information on RI REC’s prequalified EHR software vendors or technical service consultants and guidance on what questions to ask, please visit http://docehrtalk.org/selecting-ehr/vendor-marketplace-participants.

On September 6, 2012, from 4:00—8:00 p.m., RI REC will hold its Health IT Expo 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island. This event gives providers the opportunity to speak with RI REC vendors and consultants, test software, and learn from other physicians’ experiences with EHRs.  Walk-ins from the Rhode Island healthcare community are welcome.

In January 2013, RI REC will re-open the application process for vendors and consultants who wish to be included in the Marketplace.

For more information and to enroll, visit RI REC’s website, www.DocEHRtalk.org.

About Rhode Island Quality Institute
Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI) is a collaboration of leaders in the Rhode Island community who share the intent to improve the health care system in the State. The collaboration, founded in 2001, includes CEOs of hospitals, health insurers and businesses, along with leaders of consumer groups, academia and government. RIQI’s mission is to improve the quality, safety and value of health care in Rhode Island. RIQI is the Governor-designated sole Regional Health Information Organization for Rhode Island, chosen to coordinate the statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE). In this role, RIQI is charged with bringing together health care stakeholders within the State and governing health information among them to improve health outcomes in the community. For more information, visit www.riqi.org.