L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest public health plan, has approved $529,000 to support five Los Angeles County community clinics’ health information technology projects.

The grants are part of L.A. Care’s HIT Initiative, which is designed to help community clinics purchase and implement electronic health records and interface technology, as well as help the clinics become meaningful users of EHRs and qualify for federal incentives.

The projects are expected to take up to 24 months to complete.

Grantees are:
Asian Pacific Health Care Venture (Los Angeles) - $115,000  
Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles (Bell Gardens) - $115,000
Northeast Valley Health Corporation (San Fernando) - $100,000
St. John’s Well Child and Family Center (South Los Angeles) - $99,000
Venice Family Clinic (Venice) - $100,000

“Electronic health records improve the quality of care through better coordination and reduce duplication and unnecessary tests,” said Elaine Batchlor, MD, chief medical officer of L.A. Care. “These grants will help community clinics purchase the new software and technology that are becoming so important in healthcare.”
Asian Pacific Health Care Venture (APHCV), the largest Asian-focused healthcare organization in Los Angeles County, will use its $115,000 grant to purchase and implement an EHR system and interface technology that will connect the EHR system to disease registries and health information exchanges (HIEs). The grant will enhance continuity of care for the more than 12,200 patients seen at various APHCV clinic sites.

St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, which serves more than 33,000 low-income children, adolescents, and adults, also plans to use its $99,000 in funding to buy and implement an EHR. The safety net clinic will use the grant to hire a qualified EHR expert to assist with selecting the appropriate EHR system as well as the EHR implementation and workflow redesign. The EHR system will be fully integrated across St. John’s 10-clinic network.

“Implementing EHR systems is challenging for many community clinics because of barriers such as limited capital for upfront investment, staff time required for the implementation and needed organizational changes,” said Roland Palencia, community benefits director of L.A. Care.

The funds are expected to supplement other grant opportunities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. ARRA funding will help defray the cost of purchasing an EHR system, which can run up to $40,000 per provider, but it is not intended to cover the full cost.

The grantees will receive technical assistance services offered through HITEC-LA, an exclusive, federally-designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center for Los Angeles County, charged with helping doctors and primary care providers implement and use EHR in a meaningful way. It is a project of L.A. Care Health Plan.

“Health information technology is vital for the integration and coordination of care to our patients, who are in critical need of medical and support services,” said Ernesto Barahona, director of development at St. John's Well Child and Family Center.

To date, L.A. Care has funded 27 healthcare information technology projects totaling nearly $3.8 million through its Community Health Investment Fund (CHIF).