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A really interesting comment about the REC EHR selection process was made over on EMR and HIPAA:

It is beyond me how any REC could have already selected EHR vendors since no EHRs have yet gone through the HHS certification process. CCHIT certification in prior years simply isn’t relevant now. I bet ONC would be horrified to hear what people in this comment string are saying…or at least, I hope they would be horrified!

What ONC needs to do is establish a standardized and TRANSPARENT process by which the RECs select vendors. The RECs are supported by taxpayer dollars, so we all have a right to know how this vendor selection is going down.

I really love the idea of ONC requiring an open and transparent EHR selection process by the RECs that are getting millions of dollars from them. Remember, each of these RECs are non profit organizations that are suppose to be helping doctors show meaningful use of an EHR. Why wouldn’t they want to have a transparent EHR selection process? What are they trying to hide?

My fear is that many of the RECs are so worried about the short timelines they’ve been given that they’re just throwing darts at the wall instead of really involving people in the process. I’m a HUGE proponent of what’s been called crowd sourcing. It’s really amazing the type of information you can get to make a better decision when you involve a large group of people in the process. I hope the RECs will do just that and be transparent in their EHR selection process.

Side Note: We’re getting a lot of the RECs and their websites listed on this list of EHR Regional Extension Centers wiki page. Please add any others that you might know about.

I’ve been really interested in the Regional Extension Centers (RECs) and been interested to find out how they’re going to work. So, I’ve started a resource on the EMR and EHR wiki to list the various RECs and over time to populate the list with links to the REC websites. Since it’s a wiki please feel free to login and add whatever information you know or leave a comment with the information.

I also found these links to information about the RECs in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana and Oklahoma and New Jersey.

Please let us all know any other information you have or find about RECs and their help in EMR implementation.

HISTalk had this insightful point:

From Day Tripper: “Re: ambulatory EMR vendors. I asked several EMR vendors if they have seen a big increase in buyers, especially now that we at least have the interim final use definitions. The general consensus is that many physicians are still dragging their feet.” I’ve heard that comment as well. Either because of fear or because it sounds like a good excuse, many physicians are waiting until the MU guidelines are truly final and the certifying entities are identified. Perhaps a minority of physicians are savvy to understand that the RECs will offer some free implementation services so they are waiting for those to ramp up. And, likely others are waiting to see what opportunities their hospitals may offer to affiliated physicians. In other words, if you are looking for an excuse to not move forward, there are plenty to choose from.

I ask a number of EMR vendors the same question. A few had seen some increase, but for the most part they were all still waiting. I think Inga’s comment that there being plenty of excuses to not implement is true. This is unfortunate, since before the EMR stimulus most of the excuses had played themselves out and nearly disappeared. It seems that the EMR stimulus offered up a new set.

I will say that I’m not so sure how much “free” help the RECs will end up giving. I really wonder what most of them are going to do. One of my projects since HIMSS is to make contact with a number of the RECs.