One third of nation's PCPs enrolled in health IT extension centers

Regional health IT extension centers have signed up more than 100,000 physicians, or one third of all primary care providers in the nation, to help them deploy electronic health records, reaching its goal slightly ahead of its yearend schedule. And 70% of all primary care providers in small practices in rural areas around the country are working with the extension centers, and in some states, it's practically 100%, said Farzad Mostashari, MD, the national health IT coordinator. Those are among the efforts through which the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's toolbox has established a beachhead, he said at a Nov. 17 summit spotlighting the progress of the extension centers, health information exchange, and beacon or model health IT communities to help to transform healthcare.