The Ohio Health Information Partnership Signs up 5,000 Ohio Physicians

Ohio has reached 5,000 sign-ups in the number of primary care physicians who are seeking guidance in selecting electronic health record systems. The state’s goal is to sign up 6,000 physicians, a mark set by the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which provided $43 million in funding for health information technology initiatives in Ohio. The ONC hopes to reach 100,000 signs-ups nationally. As of late August, 87,000 physicians are participating nationwide, and Ohio is the leading state, followed by California at 3,219 and New York at 2,962. The Partnership also has developed an infrastructure for a statewide health information exchange. Called CliniSync http://www.clinisync.org/index.php/what-is-clinisync/165.html, this exchange ultimately will connect hospitals, health systems, physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in a patient’s care. With patients’ permission, the exchange will allow participating organizations to access records through a secure network in virtual time. For more information go to www.clinisync.org