Founded in 2001, the Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI) is a collaboration of leaders who share a vision for substantively improving the health care system in Rhode Island, including consumers, advocacy groups, hospitals, health insurers, employers, academia, nursing and long term care facilities, and state government. RIQI???s mission is to significantly improve the quality, safety and value of healthcare in RI, primarily through the adoption of health information technology (HIT.) Since 2007, RIQI has developed strategies, built infrastructure, and executed plans to promote EHR adoption. The Regional Extension Center (REC) proposed in this cooperative agreement will expand upon these existing tools and services to assist providers with EHR adoption and will lever RIQI???s ongoing work in HIE to help advance meaningful use.
RIQI has applied scientific research and experience in the field to design a center of learning and support services for HIT in RI. RIQI???s ground-breaking study on the ???Application of Social Networking Theory to EHR Adoption in RI??? draws upon research by Everett Rogers and others on diffusion of innovation. RIQI has used learnings gathered through this study to mobilize peer-nominated Physician Leaders (RI???s early adopters) as EHR advocates, to publish EHR Fact Sheets, Case Studies, and a Physician Guidebook, and to implement a web ???based EHR resource for providers named DocEHRtalk.org. All of these tools will be advanced through the REC.
RIQI???s proposed Operating Model for the REC fundamentally is that of a ???regulated??? marketplace, where buyers find sellers, compare the relative merits of offerings, and use tools/services to ensure that implementations proceed smoothly and effectively. Implementation work is carried out by vendors qualified to participate in the REC and that have agreed to align with the Operating Model, including offering discounts to REC clients. The REC???s streamlined processes and management oversight will reduce the risk of failed installations and will shorten the total implementation lifecycle. The REC???s services foster rapid identification, selection, and deployment of EHRs. The REC facilitates the decision to adopt, the selection of vendors, and the purchase process, so that actual implementation work can begin quickly.
This proposal levers RIQI???s collaboration skills, operational expertise, and accountability framework in order to quickly bring together services that already exist in the marketplace and to drive performance. The model???s reliance on vendors maximizes capacity to meet client demand and fosters job creation across many firms. The RI REC will help 1,000 priority primary care providers reach meaningful use in two years by offering them a variety of support, management, and quality services, by linking them to qualified implementation vendors, and by providing them with subsidies and financial incentives.
While operating the REC, RIQI will continue to lever its long-standing governance and collaboration structure. RIQI???s 15 active working committees and its Board include representatives of the underserved, uninsured, and under-insured segments of the population. RIQI???s diverse committee structure, influential and knowledgeable board, established controls and infrastructure, EHR experience, and innovative operating model will work in concert to ensure that RI???s REC achieves success and long-term sustainability.
