Community-wide Implementation of Health Information Technology: The Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative Experience
- aHarvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- bHarvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Boston, MA
- cMassachusetts eHealth Collaborative, Waltham, MA
- dBlue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
- eBrigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Correspondence: Allan H. Goroll, Massachusetts General Hospital, Medical Service, 15 Parkman Street, Suite 645, Boston, MA 02114; e-mail: <ahgoroll{at}partners.org>
- Received 16 June 2008
- Accepted 30 September 2008
Abstract
The Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative (MAeHC) was formed to improve patient safety and quality of care by promoting the use of health information technology through community-based implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchange. The Collaborative has recently implemented EHRs in a diverse set of competitively selected communities, encompassing nearly 500 physicians serving over 500,000 patients. Targeting both EHR implementation and health information exchange at the community level has identified numerous challenges and strategies for overcoming them. This article describes the formation and implementation phases of the Collaborative, focusing on barriers identified, lessons learned, and policy issues.
