The conversion to paperless patient records, as well as improved disease management and tracking of health care outcomes, is now a reality for Wheeling Health Right, thanks to the new NTTC-managed HEALTHeWV electronic health records (EHR) system launched recently at the free clinic.

For Wheeling Health Right, whose providers see about 1,000 patients per month, electronic health records and automated state reporting functionalities have been high on the priority list for the last 10 years. “We are very excited to be the first Northern Panhandle pilot site for HEALTHeWV,” says Kathie Brown, executive director of Wheeling Health Right. “As a free clinic, we rely on state and grant funding and private donations, so it’s always been important for us to operate as efficiently as we can while providing the very best care to our patients. With HEALTHeWV and its automated features, our staff has more time to dedicate to patients and a more effective way to track and communicate patient progress among our providers and stakeholders.”

Wheeling Jesuit Vice President for Sponsored Programs J. Davitt McAteer says the University’s role in the HEALTHeWV project is an extension of its overall mission to make a positive difference in the lives of fellow West Virginians. “We are proud to manage HEALTHeWV’s technical deployment into the state’s medically underserved rural communities. We live and work in West Virginia and know how important this effort is to addressing the state’s high incidence of chronic disease and improving the health care of rural patients,” McAteer says.

Using more than $8 million in federal funds that Senator Byrd obtained, the NTTC hopes to expand the HEALTHeWV program to 35 more clinics throughout the state.