The topic that seems all-consuming in our organization currently is health information technology (HIT). We are working diligently to assist our healthcare facilities in meeting the federal meaningful use criteria for electronic health records (EHR) through THE Consortium, our HIT program. Even internally at CRHC we are continuously upgrading and enhancing our use of technology. We are now on Twitter and publish several different Blogs. Our provider recruitment program (CPR) is posting job opportunities for health professionals on Facebook, and our quarterly newsletter, Special Delivery, has evolved into a completely different format, allowing us to update content daily and archive past articles for our readers.
In the midst of these technological advancements, we often stop and take a moment at CRHC to consider the overall impact on rural communities. An urban-based physician shared with us recently that he has utilized EHR in his office for several years and that the technology has significantly improved access to internal information about his patients. However, retrieving information about his patients from other entities outside of his practice is not yet effective, even with the large urban hospital located right next door. The successful exchange of information between facilities (health information exchange or HIE) will be necessary in order for rural communities to truly experience a positive impact on the quality and delivery of patient care. CRHC’s talented and resourceful team is committed to working toward this goal in collaboration with many other organizations, such as CoRHIO, by addressing barriers one rural facility at a time, one laptop at a time, one broadband connection at a time, one software implementation at time.
In the meantime, we continue to focus on the personal relationships with the communities and people we serve. We still, first and foremost, value the face-to-face experience with our members and constituents. We will host several hundred participants from rural and urban safety net facilities at The Forum next week and at our annual conference in June. Rural hospitals, clinics, and other entities can expect an in-person visit from our staff during the year to gather information, provide assistance and simply have a conversation. To quote Tim Size, Director of the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, “We know our job is to preserve what we have, while continuing to improve and celebrate the hard work and success that defines rural health.”
