Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality

Kyle Lipke, PA-C

  In an a time when consumers do practically everything online—from paying bills to booking a trip to Los Angeles—one area that lags behind in adopting computer technology is health care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that only 14 percent of medical group practices have implemented electronic health records (EHRs) nationwide, yet the benefits to providers and patients are numerous. Utilizing EHRs gives better access to data, improves management and tracking of chronic conditions, speeds routine office tasks, and saves space as well as money; EHRs can enhance virtually every aspect of practice.

One medical facility that recognizes the benefits of an EHR system and is one of the few practices in Oklahoma to implement an EHR is Cimarron Healthcare Center located in Cushing. It has joined with 67 other physician practices from across the state to participate in Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality's (OFMQ) Doctors' Office Quality –Information Technology (DOQ-IT) project aimed at overcoming some of the biggest challenges to the adoption and effective use of EHRs by primary care practices. DOQ-IT is a major initiative sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.