Oregon Medical Jobs Receive Health IT Award

Those with Oregon medical jobs who are working to take the state to the next level in healthcare technology have been recognized.

The State of Oregon recently received the State of the Year Award from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society for its leadership in health information technology.

"This award recognizes the important work Oregon has done to ensure all of our citizens' health records are available to them and their healthcare provider anytime, anywhere they are needed, and that those health records are confidential and secure at all times," Gov. Ted Kulongoski said. "For Oregonians, the impact will be higher quality care at a lower cost."

One example of the state's success is a recent survey from the Oregon Health Policy and Research office that found the state continues to lead the way when it comes to adopting and using electronic health records.

In fact, almost half of all clinicians throughout Oregon have electronic health records in their ambulatory practices, which is more than twice the national average. In addition, one-third of clinicians use fully-functional electronic health record systems, which is five times the national average.

"I am pleased to present the HIMSS State of the Year Award to the State of Oregon, in recognition of the Beaver State’s inspiring achievements in advancing health IT," HIMSS Board Member John Daniels said. "In less than one year, Oregon has leveraged public-industry-academic partnerships to effectively promote the use of health IT and Health Information Exchange."

Looking ahead, the Oregon Health Authority and Department of Human Services is working to promote new IT models that will provide more efficient healthcare services and programs. The state considers the use of health IT paramount in its effort to lower the cost and improve the quality of healthcare.