WIREC Director Testifies Before House Subcommittee at HITECH Act Hearing
Peggy Evans, PhD, CPHIT, Director of the Washington & Idaho Regional Extension Center (WIREC) testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee of Health, on July 27, 2010, in Washington, DC. Read the press release, read Dr. Evans' testimony or view video of the proceedings.

HHS Announces Final Rules to Support Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records
On July 13, 2010, US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced final rules for meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). Led by Qualis Health, WIREC is one of 60 Regional Extension Centers around the country designated to support provider efforts to become meaningful users of EHRs. Providers who meet meaningful use objectives can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments. Read the press release.

Life Science Discovery Fund Article Published
Qualis Health's Peggy Evans, PhD, CPHIT, Jeff Hummel, MD, MPH, and Helan Lee-Garrard submitted an article entitled Medication reconciliation in the emergency department: opportunities for workflow redesign to the journal Quality and Safety in Health Care. Written as part of the Life Science Discovery Fund award, the article was accepted in November 2009 and posted to the journal's website in June. Read the abstract.

Jonathan Sugarman Speaks at National Medicaid Congress
Jonathan Sugarman, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Qualis Health, presented at the fifth annual National Medicaid Congress on June 7, 2010 in Washington, DC. View Dr. Sugarman's presentation, Community Health Centers: Medical Homes in the Safety Net.

Evan Stults Presents at National Medicare Readmissions Summit
Qualis Health's Executive Director of QSI Communications, Evan Stults, gave a presentation titled, Stepping Stones: Community Engagement to Reduce Unnecessary Rehospitalizations, at the National Medicare Readmissions Summit on June 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. Visit the Stepping Stones website to learn more about the project.

SNMHI Issue Brief Released by The Commonwealth Fund
The Commonwealth Fund has formally released the 2009 Safety Net Medical Home Initiative Issue Brief, Providing Underserved Patients with Medical Homes: Assessing the Readiness of Safety-Net Health Centers, authored by Katie Coleman, MSPH and Kathryn Phillips, MPH. Read the Issue Brief.

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