ABSTRACT
Dr. Jen Brull was the first person in Kansas and the 34th in the nation to attest to Meaningful Use Stage 1, partly because of her love for health information technology (health IT) and health information exchange (HIE). The urgent care doctor told them to go to the emergency department (ED), but in a new city, and without insurance, they were worried about the cost and unsure what to do. The mother sent a message via Facebook to Dr. Brull. Dr. Brull called her, and was able to arrange for the daughter to be seen at a friend’s clinic at a lower cost than an ED visit. These kinds of connections simply would not be logical or practical in a larger community. Many patients are reluctant to provide their email address without seeing the value up front, so only 14% of her patients are currently registered.
