New York City will spend $27 million to help provide 1,000 physicians in clinics serving the poorest areas of the city with electronic health records (EHR) systems by 2008, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced.
The city is also backing development of a public-health information exchange. Thirty community-based primary care organizations that serve more than 500,000 patients at 150 clinics have joined a newly formed Primary Care Information Consortium, according to a city news release.
Bloomberg’s announcement fulfills a pledge he made in his annual State of the City address in January. “This year, we're going to launch a revolution in our community health clinics,” he said. “We'll ask Albany, Washington, [D.C.], and the private sector to join us in investing $100 million to create secure [EHRs] in our community clinics, and in the offices of doctors who practice in our poorest neighborhoods. This will reduce preventable illnesses. It will save millions of dollars a year now wasted on needless procedures. And it will make us the national leader in providing high-quality health care to those most in need.”
The city is contributing $27 million and participating community health centers will give $13 million. The city also has a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, commissioner of the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said the use of EHRs not only will improve care for patients, but it also “has the potential to create millions of dollars of state Medicaid savings over time.”
Community health centers and small medical practices are among the segments of the health care industry least likely to adopt health information technology because of the initial cost and ongoing maintenance requirements. The consortium aims to make adoption and use of EHRs easier for its members.
It will help with selection and implementation of systems and promote information sharing and best practices, according to a health department Web page.
Government Health IT will present Liesa Jo Jenkins, executive director of CareSpark, in an eSeminar at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, where she will share her experiences and insight into building a health information exchange that enhances community health, rewards regional collaboration and drives economic progress.
