Grant Writing Workshops offered through CRHC

CRHC is hosting a series of grant writing workshops in conjunction with the Colorado Rural Health Care Grant Program. These workshops are being held Grand Junction, Pueblo and at the CRHC offices in Aurora during the month of February along with a webinar on March 1st.

For more information and registration, click here.

Colorado Broadband Program Survey

The State of Colorado has launched a statewide effort to collect information from community anchor institutions such as health care facilities to identify gaps in broadband/internet connectivity across the state. Through THE Consortium and as a CO-REC partner, CRHC is aware of the many issues our rural communities have around broadband/internet connectivity and speed.

This survey will take no more than 5 minutes to complete and will support a study to support future funding for broadband in Colorado. To participate in the survey, click here.

If you would like more information about the statewide effort, please click here.

Surveys Show Significant Amount of Hospitals and Doctors Plan to Adopt Electronic Health Records

Four-fifths of the nation’s hospitals, and 41 percent of office-based physicians, currently intend to take advantage of federal incentive payments for adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health records (EHR) technology, according to survey data released today by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The survey information was released as the registration period opened for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. To read the press release and find links to the survey, click here.

As a Regional Extension Center (REC) contractor, CRHC can assist hospitals and clinics with information and assistance on how to attest and qualify for incentive payments. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Tracy McDonald at tm@coruralhealth.org.

Meaningful Use Workshop Series offered by CO-REC and CORHIO

CORHIO and the Colorado Medical Society, through funding from CO-REC and The Physicians Foundation, are offering a series of free workshops to help providers learn more about meaningful use and what needs to be done to qualify for incentive payments. These workshops are intended for practices not working directly with a CO-REC partner. The workshop is mostly focused on Meaningful Use Objectives themselves and calculating a Medicare Incentive amount (future dates for the Medicaid Incentives may be available at a later time). A listing of all dates and locations may be found here.

Participants should bring a billing report from their practice with 2009 & 2010 billings and charges by payer source. Upon completion of each session, you will be able to apply new knowledge and skills in the area of physician learning. At the conclusion of this activity, you will be able to:

• Explain the purpose and features of the federal government "Meaningful Use" and Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs
• Determine your eligibility to participate in one of the Meaningful Use EHR Incentive Programs
• Describe the clinical quality measures and payment incentive structures
• Prepare to meaningfully use an Electronic Health Record

THE Consortium Webinar: Meaningful Use Gap Analysis - Where You are Today and What to Do

Join us for the first Consortium webinar of 2011 on Thursday, January 20th from 12:00-1:15 pm MT where we will build upon our Meaningful Use webinars and discuss the Meaningful Use Gap Analysis. This will be a continued review of meaningful use particularly focusing on how to assess gaps within your practice software and workflows. If available, we will have some real time examples of how certified EMRs can provide the reporting solutions.

To register for this webinar, click here!

ONC Issues EHR Certification Program Final Rule

Permanent program certifying health IT to take effect January 1, 2012


The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a final rule January 3 establishing a permanent health information technology (health IT) certification program. The rule describes the permanent certification program for electronic health records (EHR), and how organizations become authorized to test and certify EHR technology. ONC plans to replace the temporary program currently in effect with the permanent version January 1, 2012, though it may delay this date if necessary.


“The permanent certification program provides new features that will enhance the certification of health information technology, including increasing the comprehensiveness, transparency, reliability, and efficiency of the current processes used for the certification of EHR technology,” according to a January 3 press release.


Changes include the following:


• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will accredit organizations to test EHRs and other health IT via its National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program.
• The national coordinator must approve all EHR technology testing tools and procedures for ONC-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB) certification. ONC will work with NIST to develop the tools and procedures, but others may also submit them for approval.
• The ONC will approve one certification-body accreditor every three years through a competitive process.
• All certification bodies—including those authorized under the temporary program—must apply to become ONC-ACBs, and will have to renew their status every three years.
• Gap certification will be available as an option to have previously certified EHR technology tested and certified on only applicable new or revised certification criteria that may result from future rulemaking.

The transition will have no affect on previously-issued EHR technology certifications, according to the ONC website.

The HITECH Act requires providers to use certified EHR technology to qualify for payments under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

For a list of the approved integration EHR Vendor products from CORHIO/CO-REC, click here.