Assistance for HIT for Mental / Behavioral Health Providers participating in Medicaid Health Homes

The New York State Department of Health, Office of the Health and Information Technology Transformation (OHITT) has contracted with Regional Extension Centers (RECs) to provide electronic health record (EHR) implementation support and adoption services to mental health and behavioral health providers participating in the Medicaid Health Home program. New York State passed the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers Capital Grant Program in 2004 (HEAL NY) to implement 21st century health information infrastructure to support the delivery of high quality care. HEAL 22 specifically provides technical support to adopt and use health information technology and exchange for mental health / behavioral health providers serving New York State Medicaid Health Homes. The program began on June 1, 2012 and will end November 15, 2013.

The two RECs in New York State are New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and New York City Regional Electronic Adoption Center for Health (NYC REACH). Both organizations will be contacting designated health home leads and their partners to discuss ways the technical services can assist behavioral health providers in the adoption and use of health information technology and information exchange. The RECs are available by phone and email and are here to help. Please visit their websites for more information.