NACHC and eClinicalWorks Partner to Advance Health IT and AI Innovations at Community Health Centers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Alexandra Walker 718-938-2820

Bethesda, MD-The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and eClinicalWorks are partnering to further expand the adoption of health information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions by Community Health Centers (CHCs) to reduce administrative burden, enhance staff retention and recruitment, and improve health outcomes.

As our nation's largest primary care system, supported by initiatives like the Rural Health Transformation Fund which is focused on accelerating the adoption of health IT and AI solutions in rural America where we already serve 1 in 3, CHCs are well-positioned to leverage health IT and AI to improve the patient and provider experience, reduce the administrative burden on primary care clinicians and teams, streamline operations, and accelerate reimbursement processes. Through this new partnership, NACHC and eClinicalWorks will advance thought leadership around the integration of health IT and AI within CHC settings.

NACHC represents America's 1,512 CHCs, which are marking their 60^th year of delivering affordable, comprehensive, and effective primary care in 17K locations in high-need communities across the country. Today, CHCs provide integrated care to at least 34 million and up to 52 million patients nationwide. They serve up to 1 in 7 people across the nation, including up to 1 in 3 in rural America with a 330,000-strong workforce.

eClinicalWorks provides technology solutions to 180,000+ physicians nationwide. Their electronic health record (EHR) software, along with solutions for telehealth, population health, patient engagement, and revenue cycle management, support 850 CHCs annually. eClinicalWorks has extensive experience helping CHCs achieve efficiencies with AI that improve patient care.

"Health professionals will not be replaced by AI, but health professionals that don't use AI will be replaced by those who do. This partnership is an important step toward ensuring CHCs, their workforce, and their patients are not left behind in the age of AI," said Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO of NACHC. "From accelerating the use of ambient and predictive AI to streamlining clinical documentation and operations to the upcoming challenges posed by Medicaid eligibility changes, CHCs will increasingly rely on field-tested AI solutions like those offered by eClinicalWorks. Embracing technology and AI so that CHCs are not only high-trust, but also high-tech is critical as CHCs are employers, providers, and partners of choice across the health system."

"Community Health Centers serve some of the most diverse and underserved communities in the country, and they need technology that supports their essential work. We are proud to partner with NACHC to bring AI and health IT solutions that empower every physician, making their work easier and more efficient," said Girish Navani, CEO and cofounder of eClinicalWorks. "This partnership with NACHC reflects our shared commitment to delivering scalable and affordable AI solutions that will work with all leading EHRs. Together, we can ensure CHCs remain both high-trust and high-tech as they lead the future of equitable healthcare."

"AI-powered solutions from eClinicalWorks have transformed how our staff take care of patients," said Paloma Hernandez, CEO of Urban Health Plan. "The healow AI-powered no-show prediction model integrated with eClinicalWorks has helped us achieve record-high monthly visit volumes and significantly reduced no-show rates, generating revenue we can reinvest in patient services, improving health outcomes."

"Sunoh.ai integrated with eClinicalWorks has helped our clinicians achieve substantial documentation time savings," said Amanda Falick Ascher, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Sun River Health. "Providers report greater efficiency, improved focus during patient conversations, and the ability to finish notes on 26 patients within 30 minutes of ending their last patient."

Collaboration to Speed CHC Adoption of IT and AI Solutions

The new partnership will be implemented through the Science, Education, Practice, and Policy framework and includes the following activities:

Science: Supporting the fielding of an annual national survey of CHCs through the NACHC Dr. John W. Hatch Center for Science to assess the state of health IT and AI adoption, implementation challenges, and emerging needs. Results will inform NACHC's educational programming, practice communities, and ongoing national AI strategy and policy.

Education: Organizing and developing educational sessions, webinars, workshops, and other learning opportunities for CHCs to learn about health IT and AI topics from consumer board members to front-line primary care clinicians.

Practice: Learnings from NACHC annual survey and educational sessions will inform the creation and development of a future online health IT and AI innovation community to encourage peer learning and exchange amongst CHC technology leaders (including but not limited to CMIOs, CHIOs, CTOs, CIOs). eClinicalWorks will also add their bundled AI solutions to NACHC Select to assure affordability, access, and support of NACHC's mission.

Policy: Insights from our annual survey, educational sessions, and practice communities will inform ongoing health policy work that is focused on assuring that health IT and AI at CHCs is accessible, responsible, ethical, and transparent for the patients and workforces that CHCs serve.

This multi-year partnership aims to equip America's CHCs, our nation's largest primary care system, with thought leadership and insights to ensure AI is a part of every primary care team and exam, moving CHCs towards being both high-tech and high-trust

About the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)

NACHC's mission is to champion Community Health Centers delivering affordable, effective, comprehensive primary care that is community-driven and improves health for all. For more information, visit nachc.org.

About eClinicalWorks

eClinicalWorks® was founded in 1999 to help digitize paper charts for ambulatory practices. Today, eClinicalWorks leads the nation in innovation, offering cloud-based solutions for Electronic Health Records and Practice Management. The company supports ambulatory practices, specialists, health centers, urgent care facilities, and hospital systems to manage their revenue cycle, patient relationships, and Population Health initiatives. A large network of over 180,000 providers and nearly 1 million medical professionals rely upon the power and scalability of the eCW Cloud for its flexible clinical documentation, better front-office workflows, and more efficient billing driven by Robotic Process Automation. By combining innovation, leading-edge technology, and showcasing a strong commitment towards patient safety, eClinicalWorks empowers practices to grow and thrive amid the 21st-century challenges in healthcare. For more information, visit https://www.eclinicalworks.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X/Twitter, or call (866) 888-6929.