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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

South Carolina REC: Fostering EHR Implementation across the State

Mat Kendall | June 2, 2011

More than 1,000 providers in South Carolina are now on the road to meaningful use, thanks to the efforts of the Center for Information Technology Implementation Assistance (CITIA-SC), the Regional Extension Center (REC) for the state. CITIA-SC, a program of Health Sciences South Carolina, is the second REC in the country to meet its initial recruitment goal. 

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Regional Extension Centers Supporting EHR Adoption

Mat Kendall | December 14, 2010

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.

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ONC’s RECs Prepare to Provide Meaningful Use Help

Mat Kendall | August 11, 2010

To support the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records, ONC has funded 60 Regional Extension Centers (RECs) across the country. The goal of the RECs is to provide outreach, education, and on-site technical assistance to support 100,000 primary care physicians implementing electronic health records (EHRs) into their practices and working to attain meaningful use of their systems.

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