Technology for Healthcare Excellence (THE) Consortium, brought to you by CRHC, in partnership with ClinicNET, provides facilities with access to trusted resources to assist them with their journey to assess, adopt, and implement Health Information Technology (HIT) solutions. Federal incentives are available to providers and facilities who reach meaningful use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) beginning in 2011. Due to the short timeframe to adopt technology and be able to demonstrate "meaningful" use, THE Consortium was developed to provide rural facilities with access to economies of scale in the process of developing and maintaining HIT infrastructure, planning, assessing, and adopting HIT. Through THE Consortium, expert advice, support, tools and resources are available to providers seeking to adopt or support their current HIT efforts.

Additionally, CRHC is a Colorado Regional Extension Center (CO-REC) provider and can assist eligible clinics and hospitals with reaching meaningful use at no cost. To get started with REC services today, download the provider letter of agreement and fax or scan to 303.832.7496, or ng@coruralhealth.org.

• Read THE Consortium's Blog to get regular updates on HIT news and upcoming webinars. To receive regular email updates from this resource, please email info@coruralhealth.org to be added to the mailing list.
• Visit the Member Services page to learn more about the specific services offered to consortium members.
• Visit the Members page to determine if your hospital or clinic is a member of THE Consortium.
• Visit the Resources page to access additional HIT and Consortium resources.
• Download THE Consortium flyer to and share it with your colleagues.

Learn more through these webinars:

• Upcoming Monthly Webinar Series
• Save the dates: August 19, September 23, October 21, November 17
• All times are 12:00PM - 1:15PM unless otherwise noted
• Register now for the August 19 webinar
• Watch Now: HIT Webinar: Interim Final Rule, Meaningful Use, and Incentive Funding
• Additional webinar recordings available to Consortium members only. Contact Cari Fouts at cf@coruralhealth.org to request log-in information.

2010 Consortium Membership Fees:

• Member Hospital ($1,500 Corporate Level): $1,200
• Non-Member Hospital: $1,500
• Member Clinic ($300 Organizational Level or higher): $500
• Non-Member Clinic: $800
• ClinicNET Contributing Affiliate ($200 Level or higher): $600
• Download THE Consortium membership form (PDF)

The ultimate goal of the Consortium is to reduce the burden placed on individual facilities implementing and enhancing current technology on their own. Through Consortium support, providers and hospitals can rest assured that they are making sound business decisions that will have a positive impact on their ability to engage and support staff and provide the highest level of quality care possible. Over 20 rural and CAH hospitals are currently participating in the consortium. All rural providers are welcome to participate, and clinics affiliated with partner organizations including ClinicNET and Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative are also eligible to participate. For more information on THE Consortium, please contact cf@coruralhealth.org.

Please note: THE Consortium is vendor neutral and does not endorse any specific vendor. Through member input and part of group purchasing activities and EHR implementation assistance, vendors may be identified in the future as having specific value for specific circumstances.