The Center for Community Health Leadership is calling for proposals for its third grant to a local community to pay for electronic health records software and services.
The center, sponsored by Misys Healthcare Systems, is inviting physicians' practices, health information exchange organizations, hospitals and home health agencies interested in sharing clinical data for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes to submit proposals on behalf of their community.
A grant of EHR software and services for community physicians will be awarded to a medical organization within the selected community. The grant recipient will also be provided with access to connectivity solutions from Misys to facilitate data exchange between area clinicians.
The grant will be awarded to the applicant who demonstrates a strong commitment to sharing clinical data among community health organizations with the intent of decreasing healthcare costs, increasing practice efficiency and improving care delivery to its residents.
"By providing Misys' electronic health record software at zero cost, we in essence turn on the capability for physicians to share information with other regional organizations while also benefiting from workflow efficiencies within their own practice," said Leigh Burchell, director of the Center for Community Health Leadership. "Further, since high software costs are often the most critical deterrent for physicians interested in EHRs, Misys eliminates that barrier by making the software - the source of electronic data - available for grant recipients at a price they can afford."
The center plans to distribute $10 million in EHR software through the grant program, and has awarded grants to New Haven, Conn. and Tampa, Fla. since its launch in 2006.
New Haven's grant went to the Saint Raphael Health System. Ninety Tampa physician practices submitted their individual EHR software requests, following the community's grant win in November of 2007, and will work with the center in the coming months to determine who is selected for EHR implementation.
"Our selection as a grant winner from the Center for Community Health Leadership has had a direct and immediate impact on our community's ability to move from talking about EHR adoption to beginning active implementation," said John Drury, MD, chief medical information officer at the Hospital of Saint Raphael Health System. "Coupling the guidance from the center's advisory board of experts with our collective newfound ability to afford the systems has entirely changed the technology plan for greater New Haven."