The Regional Extension Centers (RECs) located across the country play a critical role in advancing the use of health information technology (health IT). They are charged with guiding some 100,000 health care providers in their efforts to establish and meaningfully use electronic health records in their practices. They offer a variety of services including outreach and education, and on-the-ground assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a total of 62 RECs, we are in every area<\/em> of the U.S. to assist health care providers in their transition to electronic health records. To ensure that these critical partners have the knowledge and tools they<\/em> need to assist their area\u2019s health care providers, leaders from ONC\u2019s Office of Provider Adoption Support spend a good deal of time on the road meeting with REC staff members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So far we\u2019ve held workshops and seminars on topics like meaningful use, privacy and security, vendor selection, and workforce development. We\u2019ve had the chance to participate in events where leaders from different RECs come together to network and share best practices. And we\u2019ve learned about new ways we can support our RECs in their mission to help health care providers adopt electronic health records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are now implementing several new initiatives as a result of what we\u2019ve learned from our REC partners:<\/p>\n\n\n\n