In a Federal Register notice, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has submitted an Information Collection Request to the Office of Management and Budget.
ONC is seeking approval for a “new, one-time data collection activity is needed to collect information from practices that are utilizing assistance from the Regional Extension Center program to implement and meaningfully use health information technology, as well as practices that are not working with a Regional Extension Center. The survey data will be analyzed to determine whether there is an association between REC participation and the use of technical assistance, EHR adoption, and achievement of meaningful use of electronic health records by primary care practices. The data will also be used to identify challenges faced by primary care practices when adopting and meaningfully using EHRs. The resulting data will inform policy decisions by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), REC program administrators, and the broader community of policy makers and researchers interested in electronic health record (EHR) adoption.”
The survey, targeting small primary care practices, is designed to “collect information to answer the following research questions:
- Is REC participation associated with adoption of EHRs and meaningful use of EHRs?
- Is REC participation associated with attestation in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs?
- Is REC participation associated with satisfaction and positive opinions about EHRs?
- Is REC participation associated with use of assistance services?
- Is REC participation associated with experiencing less difficulty in adoption of EHRs?
- Is REC participation associated with being part of a care transformation program?”
Public comments on this Information Collection Request are invited and must be submitted by January 22, 2014.
