Virginia HIT Regional Extension Center

Letha Fisher leads multidisciplinary teams to assist healthcare providers, hospital systems, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) with the selection, implementation and optimization of EHR systems. She has extensive knowledge of meaningful use attestation and compliance, as well as the processes and technology required to implement CPOE systems in hospitals and ambulatory care settings. Letha’s experience with Six Sigma and Lean healthcare process improvement methodologies is useful in assisting practices with workflow analysis, risk identification, gap analysis, process redesign, and remediation. Letha is certified in healthcare compliance and is well qualified to educate practice staff on healthcare regulations and provide practical compliance tools.

Anna Adam is focused on building and sustaining strong healthcare provider relationships. Her experience in developing and executing business strategies to provide exceptional client solutions contributes to successful VHIT physician recruitment efforts. Anna serves as a liaison to practices seeking Regional Extension Center assistance, facilitating, coordinating and participating in outreach activities that lead to provider enrollment. She provides consultative services to primary care providers to support their selection and implementation of a meaningful use certified EHR product. Additionally, Anna offers guidance, resources and vendor communication tools to assist healthcare professionals in achieving EHR project goals and timelines.

With 15 years of progressive health information management and healthcare administration experience, Jennifer Chenault-Walker understands the changing needs of practices and the challenges encountered when they convert from paper to electronic records. Her expertise in clinical workflows, insurance authorization and claims processing, as well as her extensive knowledge of practice management and EHR systems, provide her with a solid foundation to promote best practices for successful EHR vendor selection, system implementation and workflow change. To help physicians identify EHR optimization strategies that will help them meet meaningful use objectives and improve patient care, Jennifer conducts preliminary assessments and workflow analyses and develops plans of action to address any perceived barriers. Additionally, she provides ongoing training and support to meet practices’ health IT needs.

Blossom Eggleston understands the dynamics of health information technology. She has firsthand experience utilizing software applications for practice management, patient registration, insurance verification and claims submission. Blossom provides onsite consultative services to healthcare providers as they implement and optimize EHR systems to achieve meaningful use. She completes initial data analyses for practices, develops workflow maps and identifies workflow process redesigns that can enhance EHR optimization. Blossom also offers education and training to physicians who are working towards meaningful use and promotes learning opportunities focused on increasing provider awareness and participation in health IT initiatives.

Amanda Grafenstine understands the complexity of practice management and the considerable value that EHRs can provide to physicians and their staff by improving workflows. While working in a specialist office, she helped implement both a practice management and EHR system to enhance clinical operations and promote effective care for patients. Amanda’s experience with health IT puts providers at ease as they select an EHR product and use it for clinical data reporting. She performs workflow analyses, identifies process redesigns, and shares optimization strategies that they can use throughout each stage of EHR meaningful use. She also offers educational tools and resources to help practices achieve meaningful use and attain Federal EHR incentives.

Candace Mangum understands the importance of physician outreach efforts. For more than 10 years, she worked extensively in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and insurance industries, forming strong relationships with healthcare providers that contributed to increased business opportunities. Candace’s sales and consulting background as well as her training and support experience make her an excellent advisor to physicians implementing EHR systems. She completes EHR readiness assessments for practices and lends support during both selection and ongoing EHR use. Candace also recommends valuable health IT resources that can assist providers and their staff as they strategically plan for meaningful use and EHR incentives.

Barbara Pompili realizes the importance of developing solid relationships with physicians, practice staff and health IT vendors. She has experience in both the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries and has worked on public health projects related to healthcare informatics. Barbara’s organizational, research and strategic planning background as well her familiarity with community outreach and awareness programs put her in an optimal position to support physician recruitment. To assist primary care providers, she provides consultation on EHR selection and completes assessments to determine practice readiness for EHR deployment. Barbara also offers resources and tools to practices that contribute to the formation of strategic plans for reaching meaningful use.

With more than four years of health information technology and clinical experience, Cherelle Upiomoh effectively communicates the benefits of EHR selection and implementation. She has considerable knowledge on multiple EHR solutions and has trained healthcare professionals in various medical specialties on their use. Cherelle assists practices with the conversion from paper to EHRs and provides support to providers and practice staff during implementation and go live periods. She performs individual workflow analyses, readiness assessments and solution mapping to help physicians determine their EHR needs and provides consultation through education and training to ensure practices achieve meaningful use.

Lisa Wooten’s background in nursing, clinical case review and management, and quality improvement planning make her an excellent resource for practices transitioning from paper to electronic records. For more than 20 years, she has effectively collaborated with physicians and clinical staff to ensure that quality of care standards are employed in hospitals and other healthcare settings. As providers pursue health IT initiatives, Lisa assists them with EHR implementation and clinical quality data reporting for meaningful use. She performs workflow analyses and offers workflow redesign solutions to ease the EHR optimization process. Lisa also conducts privacy and security risk assessments for practices, identifying HIPAA compliance issues and providing recommendations to reduce risk factors.