Authors

Mat Kendall

Portrait of Mat Kendall

Mat is the former Director of the Office of Provider Adoption Support (OPAS), in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

OPAS is responsible for administering the Regional Extension Center (REC) cooperative grant program, which is working with organization across the Country to assist primary care providers in priority settings to achieve meaningful use of an electronic health records system. OPAS is also responsible for running the Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC), which will assist RECs across the country to communicate and share best practices, tools and other resources. Finally, OPAS is responsible for administering the Workforce Community College cooperative agreement programs, which will partner with community colleges to train students for specific fields related to health information technology. Prior to working at ONC, Mat was the Director of Operations for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Primary Care Information Project (PCIP). The PCIP helped primary care providers in medically underserved communities adopt electronic health record systems. In addition to being responsible for managing the program’s budgets, contracts and staffing, Mat managed teams responsible for outreach, EHR implementation, hardware support, and other aspects of the implementation process. During Mat’s time at the PCIP, nearly 1,500 providers were recruited to the program and implemented electronic health record systems.

Prior to working for the PCIP, Mat served as Executive Director of the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, a federally-qualified health center in San Jose California. He was responsible for writing a successful “330 New Start” grant for the Center and conducted a capital campaign that enabled the IHC to purchase a new building and to overhaul its information technology infrastructure. Mat has a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. from Haverford College.

Mat Kendall's Latest Blog Posts

Accelerating Progress on Adoption and Meaningful Use of Health IT among Critical Access Hospitals and Small Rural Hospitals

Mat Kendall | September 26, 2012

An accident happens on a farm and a man is taken to the nearest hospital, a tiny Critical Access Hospital, the only urgent care facility in the area, an hour drive over unpaved roads from any other hospital. The medical team stabilizes the patient and then sends him by helicopter to the nearest tertiary care hospital. What if the Critical Access Hospital could electronically transmit the patient’s medical record, including his lab and imaging results, to the tertiary care hospital while the patient is still in flight?

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Now is the Time for Meaningful Use!

Mat Kendall | September 12, 2012

Recognizing the need to strike a balance between the urgency of modernizing our health care system and the pace of change that can be absorbed by providers and health IT vendors, CMS and ONC have implemented the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs in three stages, with each stage adding increased functionality and advanced concepts designed to improve patient care, enhance care coordination, and increase patient and family engagement. Released in July 2010,

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ONC’s Regional Extension Centers Sign Up 100,000 Primary Care Providers

Mat Kendall | November 17, 2011

Today, we’d like to acknowledge an important milestone in our journey toward national electronic health record (EHR) adoption: ONC’s Regional Extension Centers (RECs) have signed up more than 100,000 primary care providers! This means that roughly one third of the nation’s primary care providers have committed to meaningfully using EHRs by partnering with their local REC. Momentum is building!

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