Able to effectively share information, the Northeast Kentucky Regional Health Information Organization (NeKY RHIO https://www.nekyrhio.org primarily serves Kentucky’s Rural Health Clinics. The RHIO uses grant funding to expand services throughout the rural areas to provide a variety of products and services.
Scott Lilley, Executive Director, NeKY RHIO reports that NeKY RHIO provides essential services such as:
- Billing and coding services
- Expanded telehealth services due to USDA and Rural Health Network Development planning grants
- Group purchasing opportunities
- EHR Meaningful Use education
- Quality incentives supporting consultations
- IT services involving security training, platform support, and face-to-face and remote help desk assistance
- Installing and supporting computer network technology
- One-on-one assistance on a security risk assessment
According to Lilley, “The Network has been able to approach sustainability by keeping informed on healthcare trends in the state and then adapting and looking for ways to expand service lines. Currently, the RHIO is looking to expand IT support.”
He adds, “There are advantages to working in a rural environment since there seems to be more flexibility and clinics want to see change happen quickly without going through a lot of red tape. Another advantage is the ability to visit members in their clinic settings.”
Today, the NeKY RHIO is looking at various grant opportunities available to deal with the opioid epidemic and will focus on targeting clinics who need assistance in dealing with the issues. The RHIO is also looking to broaden their reach and expand their telemedicine presence by developing a model that will use opioid funding and telemedicine to deal with the opioid crisis.
“One of the challenges in helping clinics with reimbursement requires still more education to be provided related to EHRs, as clinicians don’t have a lot of time to figure out how to get the quality reporting that they need out of the system.” reports, Lilley.