For more information, contact:
Scott Redding /MPRO
(248) 465-7373 / sredding@mpro.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Momentum Builds in Michigan for Implementation of Electronic Health Records to Improve Patient Safety and Medical Efficiency
MPRO Assists Primary Care Physicians on Health IT as First National Health IT Week is observed June 5-8
Farmington Hills, MI (May 31, 2006) – More and more Michigan physicians are adopting and implementing electronic health records (EHR) to improve the efficiency, safety and quality of patient health. MPRO, Michigan’s Medicare Quality Improvement Organization is offering primary physicians statewide free assistance as they navigate through the EHR adoption and implementation process.
Electronic health record’s improves patient safety by allowing physicians to cross reference patient problems, allergies and medications, alerting them when a potential contradiction is found. Lab results are also documented in a timelier manner allowing for faster follow-up.
A national push for the adoption of EHRs in the healthcare setting by 2014 has MPRO supporting physicians in Michigan through the Doctor’s Office Quality-Information Technology (DOQ-IT) program. DOQ-IT is funded through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The technology transformation is being emphasized during the nation’s first National Health IT Week set for June 5-8.
National Health IT Week is expected to attract more than 2,500 industry, healthcare and health consumer representatives. Activities include featured presentations by members of Congress and conferences on health IT implementation. This first ever observance is intended to raise provider and community awareness surrounding EHRs and health information technology (HIT). An extensive group of public and private industry organizations will convene in Washington, D.C., to promote a common agenda for implementing and achieving the goals of HIT including EHR implementation.
In Michigan, non-profit MPRO has been assisting physicians with EHR implementation for more than a year. Beginning in September 2005, MPRO has offered the DOQ-IT program to hundreds of practices throughout the state regarding EHR readiness. Some of these practices are just beginning to think about adopting an EHR while others have been using an EHR system for a couple of years.
Howard Wright, DO, of Dearborn Family Practice, is one of the EHR pioneers in southeast Michigan. Dr. Wright has been using an EHR for close to four years and has been paperless for the last two and half. ”Electronic medical records prompts physicians ask the right questions and basically to do a better job,” says Dr. Wright.
MPRO also works with physician practices like Bay Area Family Physicians in Chesterfield. This practice is in the beginning stages of EHR implementation. Bay Area physician, Greg Roswell, MD, is impressed with MPRO’s expertise. “MPRO has been very helpful in taking us though issues to help resolve problems early on and stave off future trouble spots.”
Through the DOQ-IT program, MPRO guides physicians and their staffs through a four-part implementation “road map.” Areas of concentration include workflow process, reaction to change, IT readiness and implementation strategies. For more information on DOQ-IT or how MPRO is helping to move health IT forward.
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About MPRO
MPRO is Michigan’s Medicare Quality Improvement Organization. A non-profit organization, MPRO is under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure the rights and protections afforded to the 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries in Michigan. MPRO also works with providers statewide to improve the quality and safety of health care.
This material was prepared by MPRO, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Michigan, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. 8SOW-MI-T1D1-06-120
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