Representatives from the Office of National Coordinator (ONC), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) visited Denver last Thursday at an event hosted by the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO). The purpose of the event was to evaluate the HIT and HIE work being conducted by organizations and facilities across Colorado as part of a multi-state visit to evaluate the progression of the Meaningful Use Incentive program. The National Coordinator for ONC, Farzad Mostashari, MD, and his colleagues were especially encouraged by the collaborative work occurring across the state to not only achieve meaningful use, but the efforts being made to use the electronic health information now available to transform care at the bedside.

Phyllis Albritton, Executive Director at CORHIO recapped the meeting. “Our federal partners were very impressed with the thoughtful way in which the federal agenda of Meaningful Use and HIE was being integrated and incorporated into more than meeting the criteria. They not only were impressed with the breadth of the collaboration and commitment of organizations across the state, both large and small, but the extent to which HIT and HIE were thought of as a cornerstone for success.”

As part of the day-long event, Dr. Mostashari and HHS Region VII Director, Marguerite Salazar led a “MUVer” (Meaningful Use Vanguards) Celebration Ceremony for those facilities achieving Meaningful Use of their EHR in 2012. Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center and Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center were among the participants who attended the ceremony as the first two Critical Access Hospitals in Colorado to reach Meaningful Use. MidValley Family Practice in Basalt and Ouray Family Medicine in Ouray were also recognized for their monumental achievement as two of the first rural clinics to attest in the state.

“ONC not only was thrilled with the successes of the Regional Extension Center work, but the commitment of community partners to continue to meet the requirements and expectations of continued investment and growth in HIT/HIE. They didn’t know what to expect but had never had an event like this, even in the larger states like New York and California, where a significant representation of the healthcare community participated.”, stated Albritton.

Congratulations to all of our rural providers for your amazing achievements in HIT and your commitment to achieving excellence in patient care!