Regional Extension Centers

What are Regional Extension Centers?

Section 3012 of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub.L 111-5) directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Health Information Technology Extension Program, including a Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC) and Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (Regional Centers).

The purpose of all 60 Regional Extension Centers (RECs) nationwide is to furnish assistance – defined as education, outreach and technical assistance – to help doctors in their geographic regions select, implement and meaningfully use certified EMR technology. It is expected that over the course of the EMR incentive program, RECs will help 100,000 primary care doctors achieve meaningful use stature.

Each REC will plan and implement its outreach, education and technical assistance programs and on-site technical assistance will be a key service offered by RECs. Each REC will work with doctors who already have EMRs as well as those who do not have existing systems. The specific scope of services all RECs will be required to provide include: education and outreach to providers, participation in the National Learning Consortium, vendor selection and group purchasing, implementation and project management, and Practice workflow redesign.

The gloStream Approach

gloStream is actively partnering with Regional Extension Centers to help primary care physicians realize the benefits of using the industry’s only locally supported, Microsoft Office-based EMR software.  The most powerful and flexible system available is ideal for Primary Care Doctors who require single-click access to all patient information and a variety of note templates.

In describing the REC strategy, the ONC has said that, "Past experience has shown that robust local technical assistance can result in effective implementation of EHRs and quality improvement throughout a defined geographic area."  We agree.  gloStream is the only 100% Partner driven EMR company in the industry.  Our products and services are always delivered through a nationwide community of certified technology Parners who provide local, onsite support.

To learn more about gloStream’s partnering strategy for Regional Extension Centers, contact Jolie Rollins at jolie.rollins@glostream.com.