EHR Used to 'Transform' Health Care Delivery

Urban Health Plan, Inc. (UHP), an ACU member and federally qualified community health center based in the South Bronx, received the 2009 HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence for Community Health during National Health IT Week. The Davies Award recognizes excellence in the implementation and use of health information technology, specifically electronic health records (EHRs), for healthcare organizations, private practices, public health systems, and community health organizations.

"We at Urban Health Plan are honored to receive the distinguished Davies Award," said Paloma Hernandez, President and CEO of UHP. "Since 2006, when we successfully implemented our EHR system, we have been able to transform our health care delivery in how we treat our patients, track their health care outcomes and more importantly, continuously work towards improving the health of the communities we serve, namely the South Bronx and Corona, Queens. Our work will go a long way in aiding the elimination of health care disparities in these communities," she said.

UHP's mission is to improve the health status of underserved communities by providing
health services to the borough's large poor and medically underserved populations. In 2008, UHP served 31,000 patients through 171,000 patient visits. UHP has developed many strategic health improvement initiatives including a nationally acclaimed asthma management program, HIV/AIDS care, mental health and substance abuse treatment and recovery programs and maternal and child health care.  UHP is dedicated to providing care in a culturally competent, barrier-free, individualized, and family-oriented manner, with an emphasis on prevention through education and the provision of state-of-the-art services.