NYC REACH

About Us

New York City Regional Electronic Adoption Center for Health (NYC REACH) is New York City’s Regional Extension Center, a designation of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. NYC REACH assists New York City-based practices, independently owned community health centers, and hospital ambulatory sites with adopting and implementing health information systems, quality improvement, and practice transformation initiatives.

NYC REACH partners with organizations and physicians throughout New York City to:

Support

Support New York City’s health goals around prevention and primary care

Connect

Facilitate connections between communities and clinical resources

Educate

Educate on the adoption and use of information systems

Improve

Adapt data and health information to facilitate improvements in patient care and healthcare

Translate

Translate federal, state, and local policies and programs into actions (i.e. Meaningful Use, Patient-Centered Medical Home, Advanced Primary Care)

NYC REACH is operated by the Primary Care Information Project (PCIP), as a bureau in the Division of Prevention and Primary Care at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. PCIP’s mission is to advance population health through supporting and promoting high quality primary care and prevention. PCIP assists medical practices to use EHRs and other forms of health information technology (HIT) to increase the delivery of evidence based preventative care services, such as blood pressure control and cancer screenings, and to track chronic disease risk factors and disease management.

NYC REACH, primarily funded by state and federal contracts and grants, is staffed with trained and experienced practice facilitators who provide direct technical assistance to practices. NYC REACH is guided by an advisory council of physicians from a variety of healthcare institutions across New York City.

Membership

Interested in joining? Joining is easy!

NYC REACH membership is free to all New York City providers and practices. Membership gives you access to Meaningful use education, assistance with vendor selection, an online resource library, bi-weekly email digests related to Meaningful Use deadlines and related news.

Meet Our Team

Sarah Shih, MPH

Assistant Commissioner, Primary Care Information Project

Sarah Shih currently serves as the Assistant Commissioner for the Primary Care Information Project. She leads the bureau in initiatives in New York City to engage primary care settings in using health information technology to improve the delivery of clinical preventive services. She has assisted in bringing in over 50 million dollars in federal, state, and private grants to facilitate the adoption and use of health information systems and transformation of primary care. Sarah Shih received her M.P.H. in epidemiology and biostatistics from the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine.

Alvin Lin

Senior Managing Director of Strategy

Alvin Lin is the Senior Director of Strategy for the Primary Care Information Project. He oversees PCIP’s collaboration with payers, accountable care organizations, government agencies and other partners. Alvin leads practice transformation programs such as the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program, Transforming Clinical Practices Initiatives, Advanced Primary Care, and Patient Centered Medical Home. He also engages with providers and Regional Health Information Organizations to encourage information sharing and health technology interoperability. Alvin received his MBA from The University of Southern California.

Jason J. Wang, Ph.D.

Senior Director of Evaluation, Research and Analysis

Jason Wang is the Senior Director of Evaluation, Research and Analysis for the Primary Care Information Project. He has extensive experience in healthcare, health equity, and health economics research and over 20 years of statistical analysis and SAS programming experience. Jason has over 50 peer-reviewed publications in world class scholarly journals. His recent publications focus on electronic health records and related fields. Jason is also an adjunct faculty member at SUNY Old Westbury and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Stony Brook University.

Jobin Abraham, MPH

Director of Planning

Jobin Abraham is responsible for driving strategic and financial planning at the Primary Care Information Project. His responsibilities include the coordination and evaluation of a cross-departmental initiative that couples community and health system interventions to prevent chronic disease in neighborhoods with the greatest health disparities. Jobin is also partnering with city and state Mental Health stakeholders to help ensure health IT readiness of Home and Community Based-services.

Mari Carlesimo, J.D.

Senior Director, Cancer Prevention Program

Mari Carlesimo oversees the Cancer Prevention Program at the Primary Care Information Project. Her team works to implement prevention strategies that reduce cancer morbidity and mortality, especially premature mortality; and address inequalities in cancer outcomes. The Cancer Prevention Program has partnered with multiple community health care organizations around New York City to provide colonoscopy screenings for the uninsured, and increase the overall number of colonoscopy screenings. Mari also contributes to research studies focusing on disparities in cancer treatment. Mari Carlesimo received her Juris Doctor degree from Fordham Law School.

Michael Buck, Ph.D.

Senior Director of Biomedical Informatics

Michael Buck oversees the Biomedical Informatics team at the Primary Care Information Project. His team manages a population health data network consisting of 650 practices throughout New York City which contribute clinical quality metrics every day. His team delivers thousands of quality measure dashboards to NYC providers in order to improve chronic disease conditions’ care delivery. Michael is currently partnering with health information exchange organizations to pilot population health solutions impacting millions of patients in New York City. He received his Ph.D. from University of Utah.

Pamela Anderson, PHR

Senior Manager of Administration

Pamela Anderson oversees the administration team at the Primary Care Information Project. She is responsible for the coordination, administration and delivery of Human Resource services and support to bureau staff. Pamela received her Bachelors in Business Administration and Human Resources from York College. Pamela also holds PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certification.

Rebecca Stauffer, MPA

Director of Program Operations

Rebecca Stauffer is the Director of Program Operations for the Primary Care Information Project. She has operational oversight for NYC REACH and directs the operations and grant management for NYC REACH. She also oversees the Communications and External Relations activities, which develops and maintains relationships with NYC REACH’s practices and providers through various communication modalities and events; and Client Services, which provides billing education and training, privacy and security assessments, and customer service to NYC REACH’s practices and providers. Additionally, Rebecca administers a project in collaboration with the Division of Mental Hygiene to provide mental health services to primary care practices. Rebecca received her Master in Public Administration from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

Sheila Anane, MPH

Senior Director of Quality Improvement

Sheila Anane serves as the Director of Quality Improvement at the Primary Care Information Project. She manages a team that engages community providers and supports their practices by offering technical assistance with electronic health record optimization and facilitating modifications in patient care workflow using small rapid cycles of change toward a defined improvement goal. Sheila’s team also works with over 400 select practices on targeted quality improvement initiatives that focus on diabetes, hypertension, and smoking cessation. Sheila received her M.P.H. from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Winfred Y. Wu, MD, MPH

Executive Director, Development

Winfred Wu is the executive director of development at the Primary Care Information Project. He works with the New York City Hemoglobin A1C registry and clinical community programs. Winfred searches for new ways to integrate and use Health IT to drive population health and public health programming and surveillance, with the overall goal of improving population health through greater integration between public health and primary care He is also a co-primary investigator on an NIH study focusing on telephonic delivery of diabetes self-management support. Winfred received his MD from Rutgers University and his M.P.H. from Columbia University.

Achievements

18000

NYC providers that have joined NYC REACH

Patients impacted by NYC REACH practices

150M

In incentive payments ($) awarded to NYC providers

Since its inception in 2010, the New York City Regional Electronic Adoption Center for Health (NYC REACH) has strived to help providers fully utilize Health Information Technology. Through 2015, nearly 18,000 providers in New York City have joined NYC REACH, with other 4,000 successfully demonstrating Meaningful Use. NYC REACH has helped community health centers, foster care agencies, hospitals, and small practices receive over $150 million in incentive payments paid through multiple initiatives.

Careers

NYC REACH is operated by the Primary Care Information Project (PCIP), a bureau in the Division of Prevention and Primary Care at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. PCIP’s mission is to advance population health through supporting and promoting high quality primary care and prevention. PCIP assists medical practices to use EHRs and other forms of health information technology (HIT) to increase the delivery of evidence-based preventative care services, such as blood pressure control and cancer screenings, and to track chronic disease risk factors and disease management.

Join a team that encourages creativity and collaboration! We’re looking for talented individuals who are passionate about improving the health of New Yorkers. Through PCIP’s partnership with the Fund for Public Health in New York (FPHNY), a not-for-profit organization that collaborates with the DOHMH to implement and advance public health initiatives, we have exciting opportunities available. To find out about PCIP positions at FPHNY, please visit http://fphny.org/about/join and review the positions listed under “Primary Care Information Project.”

Physician Advisory Council

The Physician Advisory Council is a group of providers who provide input on the Primary Care Information Project’s many projects, programs, and services. The council consists of members representing small and large practices all throughout New York City and assists PCIP understand the healthcare landscape of the city.

Arthur Abelow

NY Associates in Gastroenterology

Bisher Akil

Chelsea Village Medical, PC

Reynaldo Alonso

Reynaldo H. Alonso, MD

Avi Bitton

M. Avi Bitton, MD, PC

Arturo Caesar

Sr. Arturo A. Caesar, MD, PC

Teresa Chan

Lower East Side Family Medicine

Patti Cuartas

Mount Sinai Health System

Carol De Costa

Rehabilitation Medicine & Sports Services, PC

Nonkulie Dladla

Access Community Health Center

Edgar Flores-Castillo

Edgar Flores-Castillo, MD PC

Andrew Goodman

Callen Lorde Community Health Center

Batool Hussaini

Best Medical Care, PC

Isak Isakov

Isak Isakov Medical PC

Hylton Lightman

Total Family Care

Lewis Marshall

The Brookdale University Hospital Ambulatory Care

Frank Maselli

Riverdale Family Practice

Kathleen McCabe

Select Medicine PC

Robert Morrow

Robert W. Morrow MD, P.C.

Maxine Orris

Community Health Empowerment/Orris MD PLLC

Michael Richter

Michael Richter MD

Laura Robbins-Milne

The Broadway Practice (NYP)

Edwin Young

Mount Sinai University Medical Practice Associates