Ridgeview Clinics are participating, along with 16 Minnesota primary care clinics, in the Stratis Health Preventive Health Initiative, an effort designed to assist clinics in becoming more effective in improving health care quality, preventive health services and patient safety by implementing and optimizing the use of health information technology (HIT), specifically electronic health records (EHR). Participating Ridgeview Clinics include the Chanhassen, Delano, Excelsior, Howard Lake, Spring Park and Winsted Clinics. 

“Ridgeview is committed to providing quality care for all patients who come to our facility. Our participation in Stratis Health’s Preventive Health Initiative will give us the opportunity to collaborate with our peers to ensure we continue to utilize our electronic health records to the fullest extent,” says John Whisney, director of Ridgeview Clinics.

Through its three-year QIO (Quality Improvement Organizations) contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which began on August 1, 2008, Stratis Health is working with specific physician practices in utilizing the care management capabilities of EHR systems and evidence-based best practices to improve breast and colorectal cancer screening, as well as influenza and pneumococcal immunization rates. By replacing paper medical records with EHR systems, clinics can leverage technology to enhance care management of patients, particularly the chronically ill.

With state and federal mandates for implementing interoperable EHRs by 2015, Stratis Health has been working with Minnesota primary care clinics since 2005 to implement and optimize the use of EHR systems for tracking immunizations, mammograms and other health prevention procedures, and to establish preventive health reminder systems. Results of a comprehensive Stratis Health survey that measured the level of EHR adoption and implementation in Minnesota's adult primary care clinics show a significant increase in the number of clinics that have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, an EHR system. The number grew from 46 percent in 2005 to 62 percent in 2007.