BEND, Ore., April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing effort to deliver high quality health care, the Central Oregon Independent Practice Association (COIPA) is pleased to announce that it has merged its Electronic Health Record subsidiary, Central Oregon Electronic Medical Records (COEMR) with OCHIN Inc., a national HIT organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon.  

"The combination of COEMR and OCHIN supplies even more resources to the critically important initiative of bringing affordable digital technology to the providers of Central Oregon," according to Dr. Steve Mann, President of COIPA. "OCHIN, a company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Portland, is the undisputed market leader in Oregon relative to the deployment and support of Electronic Health Record software."

According to Dr, Mann, OCHIN was attracted to COEMR because of COEMR's strong presence in Central Oregon and its reputation of delivering top flight client support service to over 40 Central Oregon health care practices and clinics.

Dr. Mann went on to state that, "We are excited that OCHIN will continue to maintain a presence in Bend and has plans for actually adding jobs here in Central Oregon."  All of the current COEMR staff members will become OCHIN employees and will continue to deliver Electronic Health Record support services.

Abby Sears, Chief Executive Officer of OCHIN said, "Through this collaboration with COIPA and COEMR we're supporting and strengthening an existing infrastructure in Central Oregon that will continue to enhance health care delivery to Oregonians."

About OCHIN:

OCHIN is a national non-profit collaborative headquartered in Portland, Oregon that provides integrated HIT software products and services to community health clinics, mental health services and small practices serving the medically underserved. In 2010 OCHIN won a competitive federal grant to start Oregon's Health Information Technology Extension Center (O-HITEC) a division of OCHIN that provides education, outreach, and assistance to facilitate successful implementation, and meaningful use of certified electronic health records. OCHIN/O-HITEC strives to transform healthcare, improve quality and deliver value through effective use of information technology. For more information please visit www.ochin.org and www.o-hitec.org

About COIPA/COEMR:  

Central Oregon Independent Practice Association (COIPA) is comprised of nearly 600 physicians and practitioners within a 40,000-mile, 12-county geographic area in Oregon. COIPA offers a collaborative, unique experience for providers to become involved in the medical decisions that affect their practices, while improving efficiency and reducing healthcare delivery system costs for its members and their patients. Central Oregon Electronic Medical Records (COEMR), a subsidiary of COIPA, offers a comprehensive and personalized approach to electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management (PMS) that encompasses the entire practice. Please visit www.coipa.org and www.coemr.com for more information.

Contacts:

John Ryan

Executive Director

Central Oregon Independent Practice Association

(541) 585-2590

[email protected]

Ruby Haughton-Pitts  

Communications Director

OCHIN, Inc.

(503) 784-2284

[email protected]

SOURCE OCHIN