Press Release
Lumetra Designated as Bay Area Local Extension Center
SAN FRANCISCO, November 5, 2010 —Lumetra Healthcare Solutions, announced its role as a designated Local Extension Center (LEC) for the San Francisco Bay Area to provide EHR technical assistance to primary care providers seeking to participate with the Regional Extension Center program. Funding for the initiative is provided under contract from California Health Information Partnership and Services Organization (CalHIPSO) which is designated by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as the Regional Extension Center (REC) for 49 counties throughout California.
Under this program Lumetra will offer Priority Primary Care Providers (PPCPs) technical assistance with EHR adoption during the two year program across 8 counties surrounding the Bay Area. The geographic coverage area includes Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.
Beginning in 2011, participating healthcare providers will become eligible for meaningful use incentives from Medicare or Medi-Cal, ranging between $44,000 to $64,000 per provider. Lumetra offers services that help physician practices overcome the hurdles often met in selecting, implementing and using EHR systems.
In partnership with greater Bay Area Medical Societies and San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, Lumetra will recruit and assist over 777 primary care providers who may be eligible for EHR technical assistance.
In making the announcement, the President of Lumetra Healthcare Solutions, John Weir, stated, “This opportunity to expand the use of our technical and clinical services within the primary care environment under the REC program, offers participating healthcare providers the ability to make use of proven tools and years of field experience as they enter the EHR arena. Technology offers tremendous potential to increase patient safety and vast improvements in communication between patients and their healthcare providers. We see the current environment as the perfect time to press forward with advancing healthcare technology use, based on alignment of adoption incentives and technology standards that can greatly change the practice of healthcare in the United States.”
The Lumetra LEC, led by S. Bre Jackson, has a unique national perspective and local expertise. It is committed to building connection and collaboration among the Bay Area region’s healthcare community, ensuring that individuals and organizations are connected to the right people, tools and resources to optimize success of Health IT and achievement of Meaningful Use of electronic health records.
