News
UMass Memorial CEO: $700 EHR investment will more than pay for itself
July 29, 2015Source: Central Mass Health Care / WBJ
By: Emily Micucci
Employees of UMass Memorial Health Care (UMMHC) might have suffered a serious case of sticker shock when they learned about the $700 million cost to roll out a new electronic health record system and revamp the health care provider's IT infrastructure when CEO Dr. Eric Dickson unveiled those plans in a blog post last week.
For a system that has shed significant services and worked toward consolidating its footprint in Worcester over the last couple of years, the number seems like a lot to chew.
"It's a lot of money, no matter how you look at," Dickson said in an interview Tuesday.
But the administration already had the blessing of employees by the time Dickson said UMMHC would contract with Wisconsin-based health care software provider Epic to provide electronic health records services for the next 10 years.
Learn MoreHIMSS Analytics Names Massachusetts eHealth Institute Certified Educator of Ambulatory EMR Adoption Model
June 22, 2015Source: HIMSS Analytics
CHICAGO – June 22, 2015 – HIMSS Analytics announced today that MeHI, the Massachusetts eHealth Institute has been named a Certified Educator of the Ambulatory Electronic Medical Record Adoption ModelSM (A-EMRAM). MeHI is the first state agency to achieve HIMSS Analytics’ Certified Educator status.
Learn MoreDirect Messaging Finding Stride, Despite Hurdles
June 22, 2015Source: Healthcare IT News
By Mike Miliard
The 2015 Direct Messaging Survey published this week by HIMSS shows growing use and appreciation for the secure, email-like method of data exchange. But there are still challenges to be ironed out – related to technology standards, cost and workflow – before it sees broader acceptance.
Bold Initiative to Build Health Begins
June 9, 2015Source: Healthcare IT News
BUILD Health Challenge, an ambitious countrywide healthcare initiative aimed at boosting health across communities, today awarded grants to 18 groundbreaking projects to improve health in low-income areas. One of the awarded grantees is in Massachusetts, named the "Healthy Hill Initiative of Springfield, Massachusetts" which is led by HAPHousing, Springfield Department of Health and Human Services, Baystate Health System and Sisters of Providence Health System.
Learn MoreNew MeHI Grants Seek to Build ‘Connected Communities’ for Delivering Health Care
June 8, 2015Source: Massachusetts eHealth Institute
WESTBOROUGH, MA - June 8, 2015 - MeHI, the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech, has launched a new grant program to strengthen the collaborative technology-based connections between healthcare settings in regions across the Commonwealth. The Connected Communities Implementation Grant Program solicits proposals from groups working together to use health information technology to tackle challenges to delivering coordinated healthcare within their community. The program is designed to increase the electronic exchange of health information and strengthen associated workflows in order to help local providers better address the transitions of care and care management needs within their communities, ultimately resulting in better coordination of patient care, improved patient outcomes, and a reduction in healthcare costs.
Learn MoreVenture Forum Names Co-Directors to Run Worcester Innovation Center
April 28, 2015Source: Mass Live LLC
By: Michael D. Kane
The Executive Board of The Venture Forum announced on Monday, hours after a ribbon cutting officially opened the center, that it had formed a new "Accelerator Division."
State Helps Bring Behavioral Health Online
April 14, 2015Source: WBJ's Central Mass Health Care
MeHI's Laurance Stuntz quoted in the lead article of the Worcester Business Journal's Central Mass Health Care e-newsweekly highlighting the efforts to assist behavioral health providers with Health IT. The piece also covers the recent release of MeHI's eQuality Incentive Program Behavioral Health Round II grants.
Learn MoreIBM Watson Health to hire hundreds for new Boston-area HQ
April 14, 2015Source: Boston Business Journal
By: Jessica Bartlett
IBM will be locating its new health care analytics division in the Boston area, hiring hundreds of employees and partnering with some of the biggest names in health care to provide an umbrella analytical software able of capturing and analyzing all a person’s health information.
Massachusetts Behavioral Health Providers to Receive Nearly $1 Million to Advance Health IT Capabilities
April 9, 2015Source: Massachusetts eHealth Institute
WESTBOROUGH, MA – April 9, 2015 – MeHI, the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech, has announced the first round of grantees from the eQuality Incentive Program (eQIP) for behavioral health providers located across the Commonwealth. MeHI has awarded grants to 18 non-profits across the Commonwealth, which will total nearly $1 million if the awardees reach each of the program milestones.
Learn MoreLong-Term Post-Acute Care Assisted Through New eHealth Incentive Program
February 24, 2015Source: Massachusetts eHealth Institute
WESTBOROUGH, MA –The application period is now open for a new Request for Proposals from MeHI, the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech, to increase the effective use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the Long-Term and Post-Acute Care (LTPAC) sector. As part of eQIP, MeHI’s eQuality Incentive Program, awarded funds will assist eligible LTPAC providers in Massachusetts with adopting health information technology. Through the installation of these technologies, the Commonwealth aims to improve the efficiency, cost, and quality of patient care in this critical healthcare sector.
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