eHealth Initiative: RECs off to a slow start

Many regional extension centers (RECs) are still in the planning stages, according to an eHealth Initiative survey.

The survey summarizes the results of eHI’s first survey of RECs, which were established in 2009 as part of the Health IT for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. RECs are the vehicles for the dissemination of technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices to healthcare providers working to become meaningful users of EHRs.

The survey includes self-reported data from 46 of the 60 identified RECs across the U.S. These baseline data offer a non-scientific snapshot of the field, according to eHI. Given the early stages of REC development, eHI’s initial findings are limited, the Washington, D.C., group added.

Highlights from the report include:

• Progress from pre-award letters of commitment by providers to signed contracts with a REC has been slow.
• Opinion is evenly divided on whether progress toward REC objectives is reliant on assistance from the Health IT  Research Center.
• Among RECs planning to offer a preferred EHR vendor list to PCPs, the most important criteria for selecting a preferred EHR vendor are:
    o Price/total cost of ownership over three years;
    o Guarantee of meaningful use functionality;
    o Number of installations locally; and
    o Use of an application service provider hosted model.
• After stimulus funds are removed, a majority of RECs will change their fees as a means to sustainability.

The eHI report can be downloaded here.