MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Milan Puskar Health Right has launched HEALTHeWV, a paperless patient records system that gives health care professionals quick access to patient information, clinical practice guidelines and patient education materials.

HEALTHeWV, a congressionally sponsored program brought to the state through the efforts of Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) and managed by the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC) at Wheeling Jesuit University, focuses on enhancing health care in rural communities. By offering health care providers quick access to the latest in evidence-based medicine guidelines and improving patient-provider communication with use of electronic health surveys and note-taking, HEALTHeWV goes beyond a typical electronic medical records (EMR) system to focus on patient care and improving patients’ health outcomes.

Milan Puskar Health Right is a primary care clinic that provides services at no cost to an average of 1,800 uninsured and under-insured low-income patients each month.

“HEALTHeWV will allow Milan Muskar Health Right to attain an even higher level of quality assurance in service to our patients,” says Laura Jones, clinic executive director. “The system is designed for ease of communication among multiple providers, which is a huge advantage for us. Also, it will help us track important data needed for the many federal, state and local grants that we receive in order to continue providing free care to the overwhelming number of uninsured residents in our community and surrounding areas.”

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.

HEALTHeWV went “live” for the first time in 2006 at Wheeling Health Right. Since then it has been adopted by 18 additional clinics.

Sen. Byrd has worked to improve rural health care for many years. “Because our state is predominantly rural, many of our citizens who suffer from chronic disease conditions lack access to the best available health care,” Byrd said. “I fully support the HEALTHeWV program because it specifically targets improving health care for rural patients and gives rural physicians access to the same medical information as their urban counterparts.” With the success of HEALTHeWV, Byrd says West Virginia can serve as a model to other states considering EMR systems.

Clinics interested in more information about the program can contact HEALTHeWV Program Director Dr. Mazharullah Shaik at (304) 243-2127 or visit www.healthewv.net.

Milan Puskar Health Right was founded in 1984 by a group of citizens on the premise that every person has a right to health care, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Originally named Morgantown Health Right, the clinic was renamed in 2003 to honor Milan (Mike) Puskar, co-founder of Mylan Pharmaceuticals, for his generous donations since Health Right’s inception. The clinic has a staff of 23, and more than 200 volunteers. It dispenses millions of dollars-worth of free medications to qualified patients each year.