The New Mexico Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center

A collaboration of the LCF Research, the New Mexico Medical Review Association and the New Mexico Primary Care Association

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a final rule on July 13, 2010, designed to assist health care providers in becoming meaningful users of certified electronic heath record (EHR) systems. The meaningful use final rule defines the measures providers must meet to become meaningful users of their EHR systems in order to qualify for incentives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Access the CMS/ONC meaningful use fact sheet

Access the meaningful use final rule

NMMRA and the New Mexico Primary Care Association have partnered with LCF Research to form the New Mexico Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (NM HITREC). NM HITREC has received government stimulus funding to serve as one of 60 HITRECs in the nation. NM HITREC will provide technical assistance to more than 1,000 New Mexico priority primary care providers (such as family practice, general internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and pediatrics) to help them select, implement and connect certified EHR systems to facilitate health information exchange to improve the quality, efficiency and value of the health care services their patients receive. Providers working with NM HITREC to facilitate their EHR adoption will receive assistance and facilitation to meet the criteria for meaningful use and attain incentives from CMS. The work is targeted to benefit New Mexicans throughout the state, particularly medically underserved populations.

NMMRA's work related to NM HITREC will involve assisting 480 eligible providers and 17 eligible critical access and rural hospitals in attaining meaningful use of EHRs and receiving government incentives.

For more information, visit www.NMHITREC.org.