Information Technology

Empowering Physicians and Patients

In all its forms (electronic medical records, information exchange, and telemedicine), health information technology is less about each tool and more about the benefits to the physician-patient interaction. HPCA approaches each of these initiatives focused on the end result and benefit to both patients and their providers. How do these technologies make patient access easier? How do they help physicians provide comprehensive, quality care? How will the data collected and used by these technologies improve the health of the people we serve?

HPCA is an integral part of this innovation process, assisting Community Health Centers with the development of their practice management systems and electronic health records and providing technical assistance and peer group support.

Health Center Controlled Network (HCCN)

HPCA facilitates this project that includes five Community Health Centers which are developing a robust practice management and electronic health record system using the GE Centricity platform. The HCCN produces faster, more efficient outcomes for health centers by leveraging their collective strength and emphasizing shared technical resources.

Telemedicine

We maintain a state of the art teleconferencing bridge and routinely provide Community Health Centers with video teleconferencing (VTC) hardware to enable the practice of long distance medicine. This has proved useful in rural communities that don’t have access to specialists, particularly with psychiatrists and dermatologists. Our teleconferencing infrastructure has also been used extensively for educational and administrative events by a variety of health care organizations.

Health Information Exchange

We support the development of a health information exchange to enable physicians, advocates, and policymakers to analyze the efficacy of care provided, enhance the management of health disparities, and inform the allocation of health care resources. Our participation in HIE includes ongoing cooperation with a number of organizations that are working in this vital sector.

Peer Mentoring

As with our clinical and professional peer groups, HPCA facilitates regular meetings for health center staff involved in the planning, implementation, and use of electronic health records and practice management systems. These peer group meetings provide a venue for rich information sharing among colleagues and lead to collective solutions for common technical or process issues.

For more information on the schedule for these meetings, please see our Calendar.