HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) Associate Administrator Jim Macrae presided over two days of meetings (September 18-19) with state officials working to speed the adoption of health information technology in health centers nationwide. Computerized record systems promise to revolutionize care delivery while dramatically cutting costs and medical errors.
HRSA Acting Administrator Tom Engels — who oversaw adoption of a statewide health information system in Wisconsin — addressed officials from state Primary Care Associations, which recently were awarded almost $42 million to expand and maintain Health Center Controlled Networks to promote the use of digital technology.
“Overall, Health Center Controlled Networks … serve 24 million patients at over 10,000 participating health center sites,” observed the Acting Administrator, “(and) help health centers navigate the operational and clinical challenges related to the use of health information technology … And many of you are working to ensure that patients have better access to their own personal health data.”
Read more about the adoption of health information technology in health centers.