Regional Extension Centers: Enabling Meaningful Use for All

[Commentary] A common concern about health information technology (health IT) adoption is that it may not be feasible for small practices and those serving safety-net populations.

Due to economies of scale, implementation and meaningful use of health IT is far less daunting for larger, commercial health care organizations. Even so, some small practices and community health centers around the country are actively defying that statement. It is precisely this reason that, in developing the HITECH legislation, Congress made sure to incentivize providers and deliver support to those who most need it. Last Friday, Feb. 12, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced the first cycle of grant awards for 32 Regional Extension Centers (RECs), totaling $375 million. Additional REC cooperative agreements will be announced in the near future. The combined REC program will provide support to priority primary care providers in virtually every nook and cranny of the country. When we at ONC talk about "priority primary care providers," we're focusing on solo and small group practices, community and rural health centers, public and critical-access hospitals, and other settings that predominately serve uninsured, underinsured, or medically underserved patients. Through cooperative agreements, we will work closely with RECs to ensure that primary care providers who need help are provided with an array of on-the-ground support to meaningfully use electronic health records (EHRs).