To learn more about why the Tri-State Regional Extension Center and meaningful use are important, view this video.

Recent Webinars

• What is Meaningful Use Anyway?: A Simple Overview of a Complex Topic

• To view a recording of this webinar, please click here.

• To view the slides from this webinar, please click here.

Information About Meaningful Use

Helpful Resources

• Meaningful Use FAQs

• Meaningful Use Overview Presentation

• Table of the Stage 1 Meaningful Use Objectives and Measures

• The "Meaningful Use" Regulation for Electronic Health Records

• Comparison of the Proposed Rule and the Final Rule

Additional Information

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced the final rules regarding meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR).

Health information technology has the potential to improve health care quality, increase the efficiency of the care delivery system, reduce health disparities, and further engage patients and families in their health care. Realizing the full benefits of an electronic health record requires use in a meaningful way. As you are well aware, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 gave authority to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) to provide incentives for providers who become meaningful users of certified electronic health records.

• For an overview of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program Final Rule, click here or visit http://www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx#spec_C.
• For the Final Rule for Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology, please click here or visit http://www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx#spec_H.

The proposed rulemaking was released at the end of 2009, and since that time CMS, ONC, and the HIT Policy Committee, considered thousands of public comments and worked together to define provisions that will provide the incentive payments to eligible providers and hospitals who achieve meaningful use. This provision, defining meaningful use, has been updated in the final rule to reflect a more flexible, consistent, and simpler message.

Some interesting changes to note in the final rule:

• More consistent message between CMS programs

• Easier calculations of measures

• Greater flexibility in achieving objectives

Recent Events  

6/18/2010 Tri-State Regional Extension Center Kickoff  - Press Release

To see photos from the event, please click here.

To see photos of our partners, please click here.

Materials from the Tri-State Regional Extension Center Kickoff and Meaningful Use Conference

Digital Binder

Click on the links below for electronic copies of the conference binder materials.

• ONC/REC Info Flyer

• REC Interest Flyer

• An Overview of Meaningful Use: FAQs

• Speaker and Moderator Bios

• REC Provider Agreement

• Appendix F - Business Associate Agreement

Lunch Presentations

• David Groves, Executive Director, Tri-State REC

• Dr. Jason Mitchell, Assistant Director, Center for Health-IT, American Academy of Family Physicians

• Craig Brammer, Deputy Director, Beacon Communities Program, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, US Dept. of Health and Human Services

Session 1A - Meaningful Use Basics: Developing a Solid Plan for Your Electronic Practice

• Moderator: Carol Ireson, Associate Professor, University of Kentucky

• Dr. Todd Rowland, Executive Director, HealthLINC

• Kathy Church, RN, Clinical Operations, HealthLINC

• Dr. Peter Muir, Family Practice Physician, Collaborating Communities HIE

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 1B - Getting to Meaningful Use: Avoiding Common Pitfalls in EHR Planning and Implementation

• Moderator: Dr. Gary Ozanich, Director, NKU

• Tammy Geltmaker, Project Coordinator, Health Care Excel

• Bonnie Hollopeter, Manager, Ohio KePRO

• Kateri Haskett, CEO, Pediatric Associates of Northern Kentucky

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 1C - Meaningful Use Under Medicaid: An Overview of State Requirements

• Moderator: Trudi Matthews, Director of Policy and Public Relations, HealthBridge

• Michael Gargano, Assistant Secretary, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration

• Kathy Frye, Deputy Director/CIO, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and Governor's Office for Electronic Health Information

• Sandeep Kapoor, Chief Technical Architect, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services

• Marilyn Borkan, Ohio Dept. of Jobs and Family Services

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 1D - Privacy and Security: The Basics for Your Practice

• Moderator: Rodney Cain, CIO, HealthBridge

• Claudia Allen, Privacy Officer, HealthBridge

• Shannon Culp, Manager, Information Systems Security, TriHealth

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 1E - An Overview of the Tri-State Regional Extension Center

• David Groves, Executive Director, Tri-State REC

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 2A - Calculating the Cost and Benefit of Meaningful Use: A User Friendly Overview

• Moderator: Jeff Brady, Kentucky State Health IT Coordinator, Cabinet for Health and Family Services

• Keith Hepp, CFO and VP of Business Development, HealthBridge

• Don McDaniel, President and CEO, Sage Growth Partners

• John Reinhart, Founding Partner, Commonwealth Leverage

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 2B - The Keys to Quality Reporting and Improvement Using Technology

• Moderator: Dr. Jeff Susman, Chair, University of Cincinnati Dept. of Family Medicine

• Barb Regan, Director of Business Development, HealthBridge

• Dr. Doug Magenheim, MyDoctor LLC

• Mark Witte, CEO, The Family Medical Group

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 2C - Special Session for Providers for Rural and Underserved Communities

• Moderator: Donna Nobbe, CIO, Margaret Mary Medical Center

• Dr. Kim Williams, St. Claire Regional Medical Center

• Jeff Lowrance, CEO, Ohio Shared Information Services

• Andrea Adams, Deputy Director, Kentucky Primary Care Association

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 2D - An EHR Isn't Enough: Information Exchange for Meaningful Use

• Moderator: Andrew VanZee, Indiana Health Information Technology Coordinator, IHIT, Inc.

• Marty Larson, CCHIE & NeKY RHIO Executive Director

• Michele Fronckiewicz, Executive Director, CHAS, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

• Paul Adams, Director of Clinical Products, Availity

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Session 2E - An Overview of the Tri-State Regional Extension Center

• April Smith, Project Manager, Tri-State REC

For the audio recording of this session, please click here.

Press Room

• David Groves, Executive Director, is featured in HIMSS Clinical Informatics Insights. 

• David Groves, Executive Director, is quoted in an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about meaningful use.

• David Groves, Executive Director, speaks at the 2010 Government Health IT Conference and Exhibition in Washington, DC.

Physician and Practice Information

HealthBridge is pleased to help physicians and other professionals get paid for achieving meaningful use of health information technology.  Each eligible professional could receive up to $44,000 for Medicare or up to $63,750 for Medicaid incentives over the next few years.

HealthBridge and its partner organizations have been awarded a federal grant to help physician practices and health centers to understand how to meet meaningful use and qualify for incentive payments. 

To learn more, complete the online interest form below.  

Regional Extension Center Interest Form

Or, contact REC staff:  

• via email to

• via fax to (513) 469-7230, Attn: REC

• by calling HealthBridge at (513) 469-7222.    

Additional Tri-State REC Information

• Regional Extension Center Overview

• ONC/REC Information Flyer  

• REC Provider Agreement 

• Appendix F - Business Associate Agreement

Tri-State REC Partners and Supporting Organizations:

• HealthBridge

• Collaborating Communities Health Information Exchange (OH)

• HealthLINC HIE (IN)

• Northeast Kentucky Regional Health Information Organization (KY)

• University of Kentucky

• Health Care Excel 

• Ohio KePRO

• Morehead State University

• Northern Kentucky University

• Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati

• Greater Cincinnati Health Council

• Health Improvement Collaborative 

• University of Cincinnati

Support for the Tri-State Regional Extension Center is provided under cooperative agreement 90RC0025/01 from the Office of the National Coordinator for HIT, US Dept. of Health and Human Services.