The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) Regional Extension Center (REC) has become the first regional extension center (REC) in the nation to certify over 1,000 providers for the federally defined meaningful use, the organization stated recently.

"It's a great feeling to have helped so many providers achieve real results from using electronic medical records, which is what the term 'Meaningful Use' is all about," Paul Wilder, director of the NYeC REC, said in a statement. "The business partnerships we've developed with the local organizations around the state, including many Regional Health Information Organizations, have been an important part of our success as a REC. New York State has made some pioneering investments in health IT and we've been able to build upon that."

The federal REC program aims to provide educational and support services to help mainly primary care providers and small practices—for whom the transition can be most challenging—adopt health IT.