Training Support for Regional Extension Centers

Booz Allen is providing training support to ONC and 60 Regional Extension Center (REC) grantees working to increase the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). These RECs were created by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act to provide assistance to primary care providers in small practices of less than ten providers in selecting, implementing, and becoming meaningful users (as established by HITECH) of EHRs in order to improve the quality and value of healthcare. Booz Allen is providing training to RECs in multiple formats. In order to maximize the value of training provided to the RECs, Booz Allen conducted focus groups with RECs and leveraged a strong understanding of the EHR and health IT domains to identify and rank training topics based on the ability to assist RECs in attaining milestones required for payment. This required Booz Allen to develop a detailed understanding of REC requirements and issues confronting them including business planning, overcoming barriers to physician adoption of EHRs, and staffing concerns.