Electronic health records and technical assistance to improve quality of primary care: Lessons for regional extension centers.

Background: In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act apportioned $643 million for a Health Information Technology Extension Program, which established Regional Extension Centers (RECs) to support the implementation and use of electronic health records (EHRs).

Problem: Little is known, however, about how RECs should assist in EHR implementation and how they should structure ongoing support.

Goals: The purpose of this paper is to describe physicians' experiences with the Primary Care Information Project (PCIP), an REC run by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.