PRESS RELEASE
CSRHA Releases Crucial e-Health Policy Brief
February 16, 2010
Contact: Desirée Rose, Executive Director, California State Rural Health Association
Email: drose@csrha.org, Phone:916.453.0780
Sacramento, CA- Amidst the state and federal push for accelerated and wide-spread adoption of health information technology (HIT), rural health care providers struggle to keep up, leaving many concerned over a potential expansion of the “digital divide.” The California State Rural Health Association releases its latest policy brief, "Rural Providers and eHealth: The Future Is Now" on February 16, 2010. The report is a must read for any policymaker or health writer trying to understand and/or keep up with the rapidly evolving health information technology movement in California.
“eHealth” is the current term used to describe the intersection between technology, electronic communications, and health care. The health care of more than five million people living in California’s vast rural areas (over 80% of the State’s landmass) will be impacted by the eHealth movement in the next five years.
This report provides a summary of the current eHealth environment in California of relevance to the state’s rural health care providers and those that use the rural health care delivery system; identifies the barriers and challenges associated with rural health care providers successfully adopting eHealth technologies; the opportunities currently available to rural health care providers to overcome some of these barriers; and a discussion of the policy implications associated with these opportunities.
Often considered a “cornerstone of health care reform,” eHealth unites health care with technology and electronic communication to better serve rural communities.
“The adoption of eHealth Technology is less about the technology and much more about the impactof this technology on the workflow, culture, and operations of an organization,” says Speranza Avram, eHealth consultant to CSRHA and the report’s principle author.
The report points out how and why smaller rural health care practices are far behind their larger urban counterparts in moving into the future and adopting electronic medical records. A survey conducted by the California HealthCare Foundation in 2007 found that only 25% of individual physicians in small and medium-sized practices used electronic health records (EHRs) and just 13% of solo practitioners were using EHRs, compared to 57% of physicians in large group practices.
“While there is an unprecedented flow of resources and financial incentives to facilitate the adoption of eHealth tools associated with improving patient care, quality and access, there is still a great deal of work to do to ensure rural providers are able to fully participate in the movement” says CSRHA Executive Director, Desirée Rose.
Common obstacles for those implementing eHealth include shortages in the Health information technology workforce, limited broadband connectivity, and insufficient access to financing and scarce vendor interest in rural markets. Furthermore, the proposed “meaningful use” guidelines associated with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which provides incentive payments for adoption and “meaningful use” of HIT and qualified EHRs, sets the bar too high for most rural providers to achieve.
These obstacles could lead to a new dimension of the digital divide by placing many rural health care providers outside of any resource circle, leaving them further behind. Fewer rural physicians will be able to keep up with the fast pace of eHealth adoption unless policy and incentive funding guidelines are changed.
“Rural health advocates will need to remain vigilant and informed of any upcoming initiatives or programs in eHealth,” says Steve Barrow, Policy Director of CSRHA, “as well as keeping focused on key policy areas revolving around ensuring state and federal programs remain sensitive to rural health needs, promoting the spread of rural eHealth adoption best practices, and promoting improvement of reimbursement for rural providers taking on eHealth activities”
The report outlines the role of CSRHA and its various affiliates representing rural hospitals, clinics and small practices in supporting healthcare providers in their adoption of eHealth. Along with the sharing of crucial information, CSRHA will continue to represent rural interests by participating in a variety of Legislature hearings, sponsoring regional rural collaborative groups, facilitate new partnerships and linkages promoting dialogue between existing health systems and organizations.
CSRHA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots organization that works to improve the health of rural Californians and the quality and accessibility of the heath care they receive. CSRHA brings together health care providers, consumers, educators, researchers, public health and economic development agencies and others to work on a variety of issues related to preserving and enhancing the health of rural California.
The mission of CSRHA is to link rural individuals and organizations together to facilitate information exchange, collaboration, and advocacy to promote healthy rural communities.
The recommendations and eHealth information will be discussed as part of an upcoming rural health-focused hearing, scheduled at the State Capitol on Tuesday, February 16, in room 126 from 2 – 5p. The rural health hearing is a collaboration of the Legislature’s Rural Caucus and the California State Rural Health Association.
To contact and learn more about the California State Rural Health Association visit our web site at www.CSRHA.org or by calling 916.453.0780.
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To view the full report please click here.
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