Delaware center noted for helping providers become 'meaningful users'

The Delaware Regional Extension Center is batting better than a thousand.

It is the first of the 62 health information technology extension centers funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to meet its target of helping 1,000 healthcare providers across the finishing line as “meaningful users” of electronic health-record systems under the federal EHR incentive payment program.

In fact, 1,016 providers that have partnered with the Delaware REC have demonstrated meaningful use, according to statement confirming Delaware's first-in-the-nation status from the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

The Delaware REC is run by Quality Insights of Delaware, a quality improvement organization that is a subsidiary of the West Virginia Medical Institute, also a QIO.

“I would love to say we're at the tipping point for connected, coordinated healthcare, but it's difficult to pinpoint exactly where the stars align for a dramatic shift practice,” Beth Schindele, director of the Delaware REC, said in a news release. “I am confident, however, that 1,000 plus Delaware providers is a solid foundation for dramatic growth. These providers should be congratulated for their transformative role.”

The total spending thus far across all 62 RECs has been $519,562,457 out of a total of $720,933,967 awarded, according to the latest data from the ONC. They've been tasked initially with helping office-based physicians and small and rural hospitals with purchasing EHRs and achieving its meaningful use targets to qualify for ARRA-funded EHR incentive payments.

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