With a $1 million grant from the Medical Society of the State of New York, the Catholic Independent Practice Association of Western New York (CIPA) will implement an electronic health record (EHR) system for its more than 400 physicians.

CIPA was awarded the grant in 2007, but has spent the last two years preparing for the implementation and rollout. This should guarantee the physician collaborative success on many levels.

The participating physician groups have made their own investments in the initiative. By having skin in the game, physician groups will be motivated to make the system work. CIPA is also rolling out the EHR system in an 18-month timeframe - eschewing a Big Bang approach - to make sure that any issue is resolved before the next group comes on board.

One of the Office of the National Coordinator's (ONC) Health IT Policy Committee's recommendations for meaningful use of EHRs is having the ability to exchange data between providers. Apparently, CIPA has taken this into account. It spent the last two years working with the Buffalo Medical Group, Lifetime Health Group, Dent Neurological Associations and the University of Buffalo Associates, which comprise the Buffalo Area Physicians Information Exchange (BAPHIE). CIPA has enlisted HealtheLink to enable interoperability among five different software systems. By achieving health information exchange among the physician groups, CIPA will not only meet one of the "meaningful use" metrics, but it will deliver value to its participants far beyond EHR benefits within the four walls of each physician group.

CIPA is going forward with a smart game plan: Skin in the game (investments), collaboration, thinking ahead (connectivity). Now that's a roadmap to emulate.