Health Care Providers Join the Ky. REC Inaugural Patient-Centered Medical Home Cohort

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 11, 2015) – Ten health care provider organizations in Kentucky attended the Kentucky Regional Extension Center (REC) Inaugural Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Cohort Kick-Off held Jan. 24.

Members included UK Family and Community Medicine, UK HealthCare-Georgetown, Family Medicine Clinic of Danville, Van Bussum Family Practice, Physicians Affiliated Care, Bluegrass Community Family Practice, Central Internal Medicine, Georgetown Pediatrics, Drs. Borders and Associates, and Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky.

Kentucky REC will assist these practices in achieving National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) PCMH Recognition within a 15 month period. The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a way of organizing primary care that emphasizes care coordination and communication to transform primary care into "what patients want it to be." Medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patients’ and providers’ experience of care. This recognition is the most widely-used way to transform primary care practices into medical homes.

“We are delighted to offer support to practices as they prepare for the many changes ahead in healthcare,” said Dr. Carol Steltenkamp, director of Kentucky REC and chief medical information officer for UK HealthCare. “We are excited to announce new services to support innovative models, such as Patient-Centered Medical Home, that are proven to help practices deliver coordinated, cost-effective care for their patients.”

Kentucky REC has helped health care providers across the state implement electronic health records and qualify for federal incentive funds. However, electronic health records are just a start. Now, the REC is focused on helping practices prepare for the next wave of innovation by using technology together with changes in practice culture and workflow to radically improve patients’ experience of care and the effectiveness of the healthcare system overall.

Kentucky REC operates programs designed to assist clinicians in Kentucky with becoming meaningful users of electronic health records (EHRs) and use technology to improve care. The Kentucky REC is a grantee under the Regional Extension Center Program funded by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.   For more information, contact the Kentucky REC at 859-323-3090.

The Kentucky Regional Extension Center, housed at the University of Kentucky, is a Trusted Advisor in Health Information Technology working with healthcare organizations to enhance the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of care through Electronic Health Information. The Kentucky REC is one of 60 Regional Extension Centers across the country commissioned by the Office of the National Coordinator to help providers and hospitals transition to EHR technology.

Kentucky REC Implementation Specialists provide resources and guidance to help providers gain federal incentives through the Meaningful Use Incentive Program. To date, the Kentucky REC is assisting more than 2,800 providers and more than a third of all Kentucky hospitals. The Kentucky REC has helped providers in Kentucky secure over $90 million in Meaningful Use incentive dollars. For more information about the Kentucky REC, visit www.kentuckyrec.com.  Follow @KentuckyREC on Twitter and connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EHRResource