A Medical Device Daily

Three healthcare foundations reported the creation of a new $4.5 million grant program to speed the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) in community clinics and health centers in the state of California.

The new California Network for Electronic Health Record Adoption is a collaboration of the Blue Shield of California Foundation (San Francisco), the California HealthCare Foundation (Oakland, California) and the Community Clinics Initiative, a joint project of the Tides Foundation (San Francisco) and The California Endowment (Los Angeles). Each organization has committed about $1.5 million to the three-year effort to assist community clinics in implementing EHR systems.

Fewer than 5% of the more than 500 community clinics and health center sites in California use an EHR system to manage patients' medical care, due primarily, it is thought, to additional costs and lack of technical expertise to aid in the transition from paper records.

But the need is great. California community clinics served nearly 3 million patients in 2004, primarily low-income groups that largely speak English as a second language, frequently transient and often lacking access to consistent primary care.

The foundations will work together over the next three years to develop at least three centralized EHR support hubs that will provide technology, technical support, vendor management and other services that community clinics require for EHR adoption but typically cannot afford on their own. In addition, the Cisco Systems Foundation (San Jose, California) will provide an on-loan senior management “fellow” to provide technical expertise and lead the design effort.

“We are confident that by increasing the use of EHR technology and opportunities for standardization and centralization, California community clinics will be able to more efficiently and effectively provide their critically important services to those who most need them,” said Sophia Chang, MD, director of chronic disease care of the California HealthCare Foundation.

Eligible organizations are invited to submit a CNEA funding proposal by the July 15 deadline. More information and the request for proposals can be obtained at www.communityclinics.org.