LOS ANGELES – HITEC-LA announced that it helped more than 3,000 primary care providers go live on certified electronic health record (EHR) systems. HITEC-LA will continue to help these providers achieve meaningful use, enabling their expanded health IT capabilities to improve patient care. HITEC-LA’s goal is to help 3,000 eligible primary care providers in L.A. County reach meaningfully use by 2014.
“L.A. County providers wanted to adopt EHRs but needed help with the process; we are delighted that we were there for them,” says Mary Franz, Executive Director for HITEC-LA. “The number one reason for these providers’ success has been their unwavering perseverance. We look forward to continuing our work with them all the way to meaningful use.”
HITEC-LA belongs to the network of 62 Regional Extension Centers across the country formed under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In addition to developing the Regional Extension Centers, the HITECH Act also created the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, which provide payments to eligible professionals as they adopt, implement, upgrade, or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. Eligible health care providers can receive up to $63,750 under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program or up to $44,000 under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.
“L.A. Care’s financial commitment has been central to our success,” continues Franz. “By offering resources and incentives, their investments have directly benefited the providers, many serving the most vulnerable populations in L.A. County”
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