WIREC Director testifies on the implementation of HITECH Act

Peggy Evans, PhD, CPHIT, Director of the Washington & Idaho Regional Extension Center (WIREC) testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee of Health, Tuesday, July 27, 2010, in Washington, DC. Dr. Evans joined David Blumenthal, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and several others on two panels of witnesses.

The hearing examined the implementation of the Heath Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The HITECH Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was signed into law on February 17, 2009 to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (HIT).

WIREC is one of 60 Regional Extension Centers (RECs) across the nation. The REC program is a national effort, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, focused on assisting primary care providers with selecting, successfully implementing and achieving meaningful use through certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to improve the quality and value of health care.

Dr. Evans serves as the Director of WIREC at Qualis Health, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare delivery and health outcomes for individuals and populations across the nation. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce health subcommittee members invited Dr. Evans to testify specifically about how WIREC provides vendor-neutral EHR adoption services to help healthcare providers attain meaningful use and realize the potential for that transformation.

"We appreciated this opportunity to share our experience through the Washington & Idaho Regional Extension Center Program," said Jonathan Sugarman, MD, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qualis Health. "EHR implementation leads to better results for patients and providers, and we are proud to be a part of this transition to meaningful use."

To date, WIREC has enrolled practices comprising 500 primary care physicians across Washington and Idaho. Those practices use a variety of different EHR systems. In her testimony, Dr. Evans characterized those practices and stated, "Implementing an EHR system and moving toward meaningful use is a transformation, far beyond the technical aspects of implementing a computer system. WIREC looks forward to helping providers embark on that transformation."