This report from George Washington University reports on the findings of a recent survey of Federally Qualified Health Centers on their readiness for both the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act meaningful use requirements and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition program.
Key findings include:
- 69 percent of responding health centers have adopted an electronic health record, with 45 percent fully electronic at all sites and 24 percent partially implemented (combination of electronic/paper records);
- Compliance with individual meaningful use core requirements ranges from 26 percent to 82 percent;
- Compliance with individual meaningful use menu requirements ranges from 17 percent to 62 percent;
- 91 percent of health centers plan to apply for Medicaid meaningful use incentives within two years;
- Less than 6 percent of health centers have received NCQA PCMH recognition;
- The top reported challenges and barriers in applying for or maintaining PCMH recognition are: Cost, staff training/support and lack of understanding of requirements;
- 48 percent of health centers are currently involved with a Regional Extension Center with an additional 16 percent in discussions with a REC;
- The top reported areas of interest for technical assistance (TA) or training are: applying for PCMH recognition; complying with MU measures; workflow redesign and practice transformation; and using HIT to improve clinical care.
- The highest levels of satisfaction are with PCAs and HCCNs, while the lowest levels of satisfaction are with Private-Public Partnerships and EHR vendors.
Ignatius Bau 