Primary care providers so far have been a bit slow to sign contracts for technical services from newly minted health IT regional extension centers (RECs), according to a recent survey by the eHealth Initiative and MedPlus, a provider of information exchange services.
In a early snapshot of progress being made by the RECs, 14 out of 46 centers responding to the survey reported that they had signed contracts with local health care providers to supply services, although many had expressed interest.
The extension centers were created to offer hands-on assistance to providers in getting over the hurdles of deploying electronic health records (EHRs) systems. Each of the 60 RECs funded by the Office of the National Coordinator has a goal of helping at least 1,000 physicians in theit first two years of business.
A majority of extension centers responding to the survey anticipate that physicians will pay each of them a range of $100 to $700 annually for services, while one expected up to $2,200. The costs go toward membership fees, hosting fees and technical assistance.
Most RECs reported they will charge fees based on a subscription model, with tiered services. One REC said they would charge for hourly services and a few said they are using a flat fee. The survey establishes a baseline against which to measure future uptake of the services, said Jennifer Covich Bordenick, chief executive of the eHealth Initiative.
"The results illustrate that the RECs are still in the very early stages of development," she said in announcing the findings on Sept. 8. The RECs will play a significant role in working with providers "to develop tailored solutions and help them become meaningful users of EHRs," she added.
To reach out to physicians in their local area, extension centers are working with other federally funded health IT programs, including state health information exchange organizations, health IT workforce training programs at community colleges, Medicare DOQ-IT participants and Beacon or model communities, which already have a high level of EHR adoption.
Each REC will also get feedback from other organizations, such as through a community advisory board; state medical or health professional societies as well as health IT vendors, health plans and provider groups.
Among RECS planning to offer a preferred list of EHR vendors, the price and total cost of operating and maintaining an EHR over the next three years was the most important criteria followed by a vendor's willingness to guarantee meaningful use functionality, according to the survey.
