Grant Aids Health Care Facilities Migrate To Electronic Records
(Press Release 02-27-09)
Hank Mooney, Office of Public Information

A grant designed to develop a course to assist local medical facility personnel to migrate existing paper based health records to electronic format will aid area health care facilities expedite the task.

Eastern Oklahoma State College recently received a grant for more than $94,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Health Information Technology, to develop a hybrid class to help migrate existing paper health records to electronic health records and to maintain new and existing health records in electronic format.

A hybrid class is a mixture of both an on-campus and an on-line course. Students will use technology resources on campus to research and evaluate tools available for health records according to Administrative Office Technology Chairperson Deborah Layton.

"A computer lab is available to provide technological training and expose students to a variety of technology. The computer lab will also allow students to interact successfully in a technological environment and to access information," Layton said.

"We have added and updated computer hardware, peripherals, printers, scanners and a projector to a current computer lab. These grant purchases will allow students state-of-the-art technology to assist them in gaining skills and knowledge needed to be successful," she said.

The course, Introduction to Electronic Health Records, is currently being offered as an online course. Another section of the class, also online, begins March 9 and continues through May 8.

Layton says a time will be set aside at the McAlester campus and the Wilburton campus during the week of March 9 to orient students in the use of our online system. All course work will be completed online.

A part of this grant is set aside for scholarships that provide tuition and fee waivers, along with a waiver for the price of the textbook. Layton says the only requirement for the scholarship is that the student completes the course.

Eastern offers an associate's degree in Administrative Office Technology with a medical option. Introduction of Electronic Health Records will become a requirement of the degree beginning in the fall of 2009.

Contact Deborah Layton at dlayton@eosc.edu or 918.465.1746 for additional information.

Caption info:

Instructor Deborah Layton explains the technology required to students. Most of the hybrid Introduction to Electronic Health Records class is designed to be taken online rather than the traditional class room lecture style. Students only need to use the lab occasionally to use equipment or for orientation. The majority of the class may be done from anywhere the student can gain internet access.