Regional Extension Centers Aid States In Health Information Exchange, Quality Improvement

As REC funding dries up, organizations shift gears

As funding dries up for Regional Extension Centers, some are moving into a new market: Health information exchange and Meaningful Use support. In New Hampshire, for example, a nonprofit REC operates the state's health information exchange, helping providers with technology as they tackle quality-improvement projects and alternative payment models.

Most RECs plan to remain open even as federal funding runs out this year, a HIMSS survey found. Almost half receive some state funding and most plan to seek other sources of support.

"The need is still there and in some cases the need is here more than it ever was before," Jeff Loughlin, executive director of the New Hampshire REC and the NH Health Information Organization, told Government Health IT...