Electronic record pilot program extended

June 14, 2008

The Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative is extending its electronic health record pilot program through the end of 2008.

Using the surplus of funds remaining from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts grant intended to finance the pilot through June, the Collaborative is offering participating medical practices the option to continue with certain aspects of the pilot until the end of the year that includes participation in the health information exchange (HIE) – a computer network that connects medical practices, hospitals, labs, and other institutions and allows them to share information electronically.

The extension of the pilot benefits both the practices and the pilot initiative itself. There are 130 medical practices in three communities, Brockton, Newburyport and North Adams, involved in the pilot project. Of the 435 participating physicians, 417 have working electronic health record systems. Health information exchanges are currently being rolled out in Brockton and Newburyport, while the North Adams HIE has been live for almost a year.

In a recent survey conducted by the Collaborative, 86 percent of clinicians reported that they expect to be able to provide higher quality care with electronic records.