"THE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL in Electronic Health Records training was a valuable experience for me as a physician, but it especially benefits my patients," said Dr. Laurie Reeder, a thoracic surgeon with a practice in East Greenwich who is affiliated with Kent Hospital. PHOTO COURTESY QUALITY PARTNERS

By Marion Davis
Contributing Writer

8/9/10

PROVIDENCE – Quality Partners of Rhode Island has graduated its first class of doctors, nurses and physician office staff certified in electronic health record use, raising the bar on the level of IT training and expertise available among local clinicians.

The nonprofit consultancy teamed up with the Governor’s Workforce Board to sponsor a three-day training session in late June, with faculty from Health IT Certification, an Olympia, Wash.-based group that is the only recognized certifying body for EHR use.

The 17 participants earned a Certified Professional in Electronic Health Records designation. Doctors were also eligible for a substantial number of credits from the American Academy of Family Physicians, which has encouraged its members to adopt EHRs.

The curriculum covered planning, implementation and operation of EHRs for data management, quality improvement, patient safety and care coordination.

Along with enhancing providers’ knowledge, the training and certificate are expected to help them qualify for federal and private-sector incentives for “meaningful use” of health care IT, “patient-centered medical home” programs and other quality improvement initiatives.

“The CPEHR training was a valuable experience for me as a physician, but it especially benefits my patients,” said Dr. Laurie Reeder, a thoracic surgeon with a practice in East Greenwich who is affiliated with Kent Hospital, in a news release about the program.

Today’s EHRs, she added, are “focused on the core business of health care: providing information and decision support for clinicians at the point of care,” so being better versed in those technologies is “invaluable.”

John Keimig, CEO of Quality Partners, called the members of the first CPEHR class “a forward-thinking group” and hailed their choice to invest in training “that will allow them to elevate care of their patients over the long term.”

“These certifications are an important investment for Rhode Island,” he added, “because of the magnitude of the technological transformation taking place in health care record-keeping, which impacts all stakeholders.”

The Governor’s Workforce Board contributed funds to offer training to physician office staff. Lisa D’Agostino, acting executive director of the board, said the funds reflected the recognition that there’s “a critical need for physician offices to become educated and proficient in work flow, data management, and care management utilizing information technology.”

The next scheduled session is already fully booked, with a waiting list. Separately, Quality Partners has announced a partnership with New England Institute of Technology to train more workers in EHR use and prepare them for CPEHR certification. More details on that program will be announced soon, officials said.

Health IT Certification has developed two other certificate programs as well: Certified Professional in Health Information Technology, focused on a broader range of health care IT, including EHRs, and Certified Professional in Health Information Exchange, geared to professionals in health care IT who are helping to build and manage regional health information exchanges (such as Rhode Island’s currentcare).

To learn more about the certificate programs, go to www.healthitcertification.com.