Press Release:
Oak Orchard Health (OOH) was awarded the Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) Badges for Health IT and Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). CHQR badges recognize Health Centers that have made notable achievements in the areas of access, quality, health equity, health information technology, social risk factors screening, and COVID-19 public health emergency response using Uniform Data System (UDS) from the most recent reporting period.
“We’re excited to receive this recognition, especially the Health IT badge. With a vast base of over 30,000 patients in rural areas, technology helps us keep our patients healthy. Whether it’s by using our electronic medical records system or our patient portal, our providers and patients have access to information that helps Oak Orchard diagnose and treat our patients efficiently,” said Karen Kinter, CEO, Oak Orchard Health.
Oak Orchard Health was awarded the Health IT badge because it met all the following criteria:
- Adopted an electronic health record (EHR) system.
- Offered telehealth services.
- Exchanged clinical information online with key providers' health care settings.
- Engaged patients through health IT.
- Collected data on patient social risk factors.
“Oak Orchard has been staying at the forefront of technology to document medical information efficiently and improve our access to patients. We encourage our patients to use the patient portal because they will have access to their medical information, be able to ask questions of their medical providers and request medication refills. Telehealth has been a breakthrough for our patients because of the challenges many have with transportation and other barriers that keep them from coming into the health centers. Now they can receive medical or behavioral health care from home using their telephone, tablet, or computer,” said Jason Kuder, Chief Information Officer, Oak Orchard Health.
