Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

TOPEKA — The center created nearly two years ago to help Kansas health care providers implement electronic health records is nearing its goal of signing up 1,200 doctors and specialists.

Once the Kansas Regional Extension Center (REC) reaches that goal, subsequent providers wanting to sign up may have to wait to see if the REC has its federal funding extended.

"The doors may close on subsidized REC participants at some point probably between now and the end of December," said Ken Mishler, chief executive of the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, Inc., which oversees the REC. "We've had some really good months lately. We are rapidly approaching our 1,200 physician goal."

The REC is one of 60 centers across the U.S. established to help providers implement and achieve "meaningful use" of electronic health record systems. Providers who do so can qualify for Medicare- and Medicaid-based incentives.

The Kansas REC was established in February 2010 and has received $9.6 million in grants as part of the 2009 economic stimulus also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding was largely targeted at signing up primary care providers and specialists who work in underserved areas.

Michael Aldridge, REC director, said the official sign-up count is currently 1,059, however a pending group contract would put that number at 1,199 once signed.

Aldridge said the REC would likely sign up a handful of additional providers beyond the goal.

"We think we can over-recruit because I don't think all 1,200 (initial sign-ups) will get to meaningful use," Aldridge said. "Because of the way our milestones and the dollars work, I think I can over-recruit a little bit but I'm not willing to commit how far."

He said reaching the REC's goal bodes well for receiving additional federal funding from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to sign up more providers.

"For RECs that have been successful in not just recruiting but also execution, there's talk of potentially getting more money," Aldridge said. "The impact of that will be some RECs that haven't done well will be done. I suspect they'll close their doors and take their dollars. In theory, that's where they'd get the money to give other RECs additional dollars to do more of what they're doing," he said.

Aldridge said the Kansas REC would be submitting performance data to ONC for review in February. He said he did not know how many months it would be until an evaluation was returned.

He said if his REC does reach its 1,200 goal, it would rank high nationally.

"I'm not going to say we'll be first but we'll certainly be in the top of the performing RECs," he said.