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HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > NO. CA CHC'S ACQUIRE EMR SOFTWARE
Article published - December 3, 2007
Credit: Healthcare IT News
Northern California community health centers acquire EMR software
By Richard Pizzi, Associate Editor
SANTA ROSA, CA -Redwood Community Health Coalition, a network of nonprofit community health centers in northern California, has signed a deal to acquire unified electronic medical records and practice management software for 10 community health centers operating 18 sites of care.
RCHC executives say the agreement will create a community health record to better coordinate patient care, and will provide significant community benefits by improving health outcomes through population management.
"With our emphasis on using data to improve the quality of care, RCHC health centers have laid a strong foundation for this major change in our operations," said Nancy Oswald, RCHC's executive director. "Implementing an electronic health exchange in conjunction with an EMR/PM system will create the coordination necessary to truly understand the needs of the population."
RCHC will implement a unified EMR/PM system from Westborough, Mass. -based vendor eClinicalWorks. The deal also provides the health centers' patients with access to a patient portal.
The community health record component of the system is facilitated by eClinicalWorks' Electronic Health Exchange. eClinicalWorks says eEHX will enable various practices, beginning with the participating health centers, to view and update the electronic chart.
"Federally-supported health centers offer quality care to patients under stricter guidelines than many private medical practices, making their needs unique," said Girish Kumar Navani, president of eClinicalWorks. "[We have] enriched our products over the past few years to meet the requirements of these centers."
RCHC health centers are the largest providers of care for the working poor and uninsured in Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Yolo counties in northern California. The coalition serves rural, suburban and urban communities with a total population of approximately one million people.
RCHC was able to make the investment in EHRs through supplemental grants from the federal government and from Kaiser Permanente.
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