Due to the cost and lack of technical expertise, fewer than 5% of the more than 500 community clinics and health center sites in California use an electronic health record (EHR) system to manage patients’ medical care. Officials claim that the need for more effective health information in California community clinics, which served nearly 3,000,000 patients in 2004, is great.
The foundations will work together over the next three years to develop at least three centralized EHR support hubs that will provide technology, technical support, vendor management and other services that community clinics require for EHR adoption but typically cannot afford on their own. In addition, the Cisco Foundation will provide an on-loan senior management fellow to provide technical expertise and lead the design effort.
We are confident that by increasing the use of EHR technology and opportunities for standardization and centralization, California community clinics will be able to more efficiently and effectively provide their critically important services to those who most need them, said Dr Sophia Chang, director of chronic disease care at the California HealthCare Foundation.
