HITArkansas, a division of the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC), was established in February 2010 as the federally designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center for the state of Arkansas. HITArkansas operates in collaboration with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and is a cooperative partner of the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC).

Our mission: HITArkansas provides training, support, technical assistance, outreach and collaboration initially to providers in primary care settings and stakeholders in the state to achieve meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs) as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in coordination with the state Medicaid director and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC).

Our vision: All Arkansas providers will successfully implement EHRs as an initial step in supporting the use of health information technology across the state, and will participate in a statewide health information exchange system for providers and patients. This infrastructure will lead to a significant improvement in the quality and safety of health care and, subsequently, in the health of the citizens of Arkansas.

AFMC was incorporated in 1972 as a private, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the clinical evaluation and improvement of health care in Arkansas and throughout the country. Over the past 38 years, we have developed strong partnerships with many influential stakeholders across the state and nation, from professional associations and community boards to government-appointed task forces. Today we work with a number of other agencies as well. One of AFMC’s primary responsibilities is serving Medicare as a Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). Find out more at www.afmc.org.