This is a project aimed at helping physicians in small physician practices make effective use of health information technologies (HIT) to improve quality of care for their patients, particularly patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes.

Small physician practices—solo practitioners and groups of 2-5 physicians—has been slow to adopt health IT such as electronic medical record (EMR)systems in their practices.  There are a number of barriers—high up-front investment costs, loss of productivity during implementation, uncertainty in the EMR software market, lack of a clear business case, and limited human resources to dedicate to practice changes.  As a result, there is a sizable “gap” in the adoption of HIT among small physician practices compared to hospitals and large groups.

There are several programs underway to help small physician practices overcome these barriers, including financial subsidies and reimbursement incentives.  Helping physicians overcome financial barriers is important.  However, we believe that physicians also need help overcoming the barrier that lack of human resources present for learning about, experimenting with, and making changes to workflow and practice to better use an EMR system.

This is the “IT adoption gap” this project is aimed at bridging. By facilitating the work of physician practices interested in incorporating EMRs and chronic care management processes into their practices with community resources, education, subsidized training and other support services, the project’s purpose is to promote effective EMR adoption and integration into practice.

What is happening now?

In 2009, the IT Gap Project refocused its efforts to education, training, and community learning about the use of EMRs for chronic care management.  Physician practices were recruited to participate in the community of practice.

In 2010, the Community of Practice began regular meetings, focusing on improving day-to-day work flow, more familiarity with the EMR and the available functions, chronic care management, and meaningful use strategies.  Physicians in the CoP are encouraged to share experiences, problems, and solutions.

We are also collecting information via survey and interviews from physicians in small practices about their ideas, understanding and concerns about how health IT may influence their practices.