Despite this year's expiration of federal funds, 85 percent of regional extension centers plan to continue operations, according to a HIMSS survey of REC leaders.
As they press on, the RECs plan to shift their focus from health IT implementations and meaningful use stage 1 attestation to continue to be valuable resources for the rural and critical access hospitals they serve.
According to the survey, the top areas of focus for the RECs going forward include:
- Meaningful use stage 2 support: 51 percent
- Helping with privacy/security issues: 19 percent
- Providing assistance to accountable organizations: 8 percent
- No new initiatives: 3 percent
- Other: 21 percent
Survey responses came from 39 individuals representing 37 of the country's 62 RECs.
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