ONC completes nationwide system to assist doctors and hospitals in switching to electronic health records

David Blumenthal, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology, announced selection of the final Regional Extension Centers (RECs), completing a national system of 62 organizations that will help physicians, clinics and hospitals to move from paper-based medical records to electronic health records (EHR). Two new awardees were named to cover Orange County (CA) and the state of New Hampshire. In addition, service areas were expanded for two already-named Florida RECs, completing RECs coverage of all areas of the country.

New awardees announced , with award amounts covering two years, are:

• CalOptima Foundation covering Orange County, Calif. ($4,662,426)
• Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative covering the state of New Hampshire ($5,105,495).

"The selection of these final awardees means that Regional Extension Centers are now in place in every region of our country to help health providers make the switch from paper-based medical practice to electronic health records," said Dr. Blumenthal. "For primary care physicians and smaller hospitals in particular, the RECs will be an important resource to help meet the challenges of adopting EHRs and using them to deliver better care."