They say all healthcare is local. That could also be said about the regional extension centers (RECs) anointed by the Dept. of Health and Human Services and ONC. The existing entities have a history of serving the community and are in the best position to help healthcare providers implement EHRs and EMRs, and qualify for meaningful use of these systems.
There is no one size fits all model, nor should there be when it comes to the RECs. However, there will be limitations, according to Mat Kendall, MPH, acting director of the Office of Provider Adoption Support (OPAS) at the Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator. The expertise of the REC staff will determine the type of services offered. If providers need services outside of the REC’s offerings, they will have to go to consultants. If the demand is great enough, the REC may offer a particular service, but it’s not a given.
Given the federal funding that the RECs get, I didn’t realize that consulting services may come with a fee. It makes perfect business sense, of course, but one hopes the fees aren’t prohibitively high and turn small physician practices off.
The only problem I see with the uniqueness of the RECs is that some areas of the country, such as New York City, will have a bigger advantage than other areas because previous public and private funds have built a robust infrastructure and resources to help providers. Rural practices will have to hope their closest REC can somehow provide many services at a low cost.
I’m not sure OPAS is equipped to do this or if it’s even in the plans, but it would be helpful to have some sort of mindshare among the RECs for best practices and lessons learned so there are some efficiencies gained for providers and RECs with fewer resources.
One thing to keep in mind as physician practices and RECs ready themselves for EMR selection and implementation, the RECs are also on deadline for funding. Physician practices and RECs win if they are mindful of the meaningful use demonstration deadline of October 2011. Not working backwards from that timeline means federal penalties and more costly REC services for the physicians.
Patty Enrado blogs daily at EHRWatch.com.
