Published: January 25, 2007 08:34 pm         

$81,000 grant

SCR clinics to link to pharmacies

A cooperative effort between St. Claire Regional Medical Center and Morehead State University has yielded a $81,000 grant from the state to help health providers in the region implement electronic medical records and e-prescribing.

The announcement was made by Gov. Ernie Fletcher at the state’s first e-Health Summit, held Jan. 19, in Louisville. On hand for the announcement were members of the Kentucky e-Health Network Board, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and Dr. Robert Kolodner, U.S. health and human services coordinator for health information technology.

During his keynote address, Gov. Fletcher touted the possibilities of e-Health, the term used to describe an electronic health care network. Joined by leaders in technology, health care and other business fields, the governor gave a broad overview of e-Health achievements in Kentucky and mapped future plans and goals to advance the field.

“Today we stand on the cusp of a new wave of innovation and change that will fundamentally reshape the health sector of our economy, as well as how we think about health and wellness,” said Gov. Fletcher. “In the same way that technology and Web-based communication have transformed every other sector of our economy, instant access to information when we need it is going to do the same thing for health and health care. This means that we are making the health care system more efficient and user-friendly for both patients and providers.”

The grant funds will help St. Claire Regional implement e-Prescribing and electronic medical records in the hospital’s five primary care clinics. According to Dr. William Melahn, project manager and president of the medical staff association, “the clinics will be linked by a secure network with local pharmacies to electronically submit or renew prescriptions. Doctors also will be able to access patient information from the hospital if necessary, as well as their offices.”

Another leader behind this initiative, family physician Dr. Mary Jane Humkey, said “the system will also help doctors check for possible drug interactions. E-Prescribing has been shown to save time, reduce errors, and offers patients a new level of convenience and safety.”

In addition to St. Claire Regional, monetary awards for health care providers wishing to implement e-Health were presented to Baker Family Care in Neon, $10,000; Kentucky Primary Care Association Inc. in Frankfort, $81,000; and University of Kentucky North Fork Valley Community Health Center in Hazard, $81,000.

The summit provided an opportunity to discuss the progress, opportunities and challenges facing Kentucky as the state works to develop and implement e-Health, a computerized medical information network to improve patient privacy, reduce medical errors, lower administrative costs and help make electronic medical records available to more Kentuckians.

The vision of Kentucky’s landmark e-Health legislation passed in 2005 was to lower costs, increase quality and improve health outcomes. The e-Health Summit brought state and community leaders involved in e-Health initiatives throughout Kentucky together to learn more about the efforts of the Kentucky e-Health Network Board and various local health information exchange efforts.

Announcement of the initiative was on the agenda when the Northeast Kentucky Regional Health Information Organization met on Monday at St. Claire Regional.