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The Need

Manual, paper-based medical record systems are inefficient, burdensome and difficult to manage while meeting the demands of today’s medical practice marketplace, especially when considering pay for performance and other emerging population-based reporting standards. In addition, paper-based medical record systems carry significant risk, whether for medical error due to missing information or destruction due to disaster.

It was with these concerns in mind, coupled with the continuous effort by community health centers to improve health outcomes, that Maine’s community health centers and MPCA worked together to identify appropriate electronic medical record and Enterprise Practice Management Systems (EPM) software.

Our Actions

MPCA and its members created a health center controlled network, Collaborative Network for New Integration of Information & Communication Technology, or CONNECT. CONNECT developed effective, cost-saving means to successfully implement an integrated EPM and EMR at community health centers. The clinician-driven process selected NextGen as the software of choice. Health centers participating in CONNECT are able to utilize:

• NextGen’s customizable Electronic Practice Management / Electronic Medical Records solution geared towards community health centers

• MPCA’s Health Information Technology Team for program management of EPM and EMR installation

• MPCA Help Desk with on-call support after hours by NextGen trained IT staff

• Regularly scheduled NextGen End User Forums/Trainings providing timely and relevant trainings and fostering collaboration and networking among participating health centers

Outcomes & Program Achievements

To date, MPCA’s Health Information Technology Team has thus far:

• Led 17 community health centers sites in the full utilization of NextGen’s EPM application. This year, the HIT Team will lead the EMR implementation at each of these sites.

• Managed the implementation of both the EMR and EPM applications at Squirrel Hill Community Health Center, located in Pittsburgh, PA.

• Initiated the MPCA Help Desk for on-call support

• Established The Connection, a monthly newsletter providing updates and software tips for members of The CONNECT Network.

In addition, the HIT Team will be managing the implementation of EMR and EPM at three additional community health centers this year.

For more information about this program, contact Kevin Lewis, Executive Director.

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