If your physician starts using certified electronic health records, a technology widely touted as a tool to cut the cost of medical care and improve its quality, you may have Michael Matthews, CEO of MedVirginia, to thank.

Earlier this year Matthews formed a task force comprised of medical leaders from across Virginia to develop a winning application for participation in a Medicare demonstration project to promote the use of certified electronic health records (EHRs). The project, one of 12 in the country, will provide financial incentives to as many as 100 primary care physician practices in Virginia to use certified EHRs.

Founded in 2000, MedVirginia is a provider-owned organization based in Richmond tasked with improving quality, safety and efficiency through the use of health information technology. Its core product is MedVirginia SolutionSM, a community-based health information exchange linking clinical data from physicians, hospitals, labs and pharmacies.

The U.S. health care industry has been notoriously slow to adopt electronic records. A majority of physicians still make hand-written notes, which are sometimes illegible and lead to transcription errors. Paper records also are far more difficult to share, resulting in redundant and unnecessary procedures when a patient moves to a new setting. Although systems with computerized provider order entry have existed for more than 30 years, as of 2006, fewer than 10 percent of hospitals have a fully integrated system, according to Wikipedia.

In one 2004 estimate, one in seven hospitalizations occurred when medical records were not available. Additionally, one in five lab tests were repeated because results were not available at the point of care. "The evidence is too compelling and the stakes are too high to maintain [the] status quo," Mathews said.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt visited Richmond June 12 when announcing the award. He thanked Matthews, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, members of his cabinet, and other key players who helped Virginia win the demonstration project.

Medicare will begin working with Virginia in the summer of 2009 to build partnerships and develop strategies to recruit Virginia physicians into the program.