: The seven healthcare organizations participating in this proposed AHRQ planning process are members of the Central and Eastern Oregon Hospital Network (CONet). CONet is the largest regional hospital network in Oregon and is the only healthcare organization in the region working collaboratively to improve rural access to healthcare. The members' history of collaboration has included the creation and implementation of the state's first and only rural telemedicine network. The AHRQ planning grant represents an exceptional opportunity for CONet to develop the needed HIT infrastructure to develop a regional approach to patient safety and quality care. The small CONet rural hospitals struggle financially and lack the resources to dedicate to planning for needed HIT infrastructure. ? ? The most medically underserved counties in Oregon are in the CONet region. Many communities are federally designated physician shortage areas and do not have physicians. All of Oregon's federally designated frontier counties are located in the CONet service region. CONet hospitals manifest varying levels of sophistication with their existing computer systems--from almost everything done by hand to varying levels of computerization. The AHRQ planning grant offers an opportunity to cooperatively work with one another to jointly develop an integrated HIT for patient safety and quality care solutions. The planning grant process will provide CONet the opportunity to identify key issues that will improve patient safety and quality of care, including analyzing the cost-benefit of technical solutions to the region's needs. The proposed planning process will require hiring a consultant, who will assist with patient safety and quality of care education and needs assessment; a second consultant will be hired to help identify the regional technology that would best meet the need(s) identified from the results of the needs assessment. ? ? ?
