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 MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics from the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine.

Alvin Lin, MBA

Senior Managing Director, Strategy

Alvin Lin serves as 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.

Hang Pham-Singer, PharmD

Director, Quality Improvement

Hang Pham-Singer 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. Hang’s team also works with over 400 select practices on targeted quality improvement initiatives that focus on diabetes hypertension and smoking cessation. She received her PharmD from Nova Southeastern University.

Jobin Abraham, MPH

Director of Planning

Jobin Abraham serves as the Director of Planning, 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.

Pamela Anderson, PHR

Senior Manager, Administration

Pamela Anderson serves as the Senior Manager of Administration, overseeing 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, Program Operations

Rebecca Stauffer serves as 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 MPA from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

Sachin Jain, MD, MPH

Executive Director, Informatics and Evaluation

Sachin Jain serves as the Executive Director of Informatics and Evaluation at the Primary Care Information Project. He provides clinical strategy on practice transformation initiatives and guides the development of new and ongoing evaluation, research, and analytical projects across programs using data from claims, electronic health records, and health information exchanges. He also supports multi-disciplinary efforts to promote value-based care and integration of behavioral health in primary care settings. Sachin received his MD from Rush Medical College and MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Samantha De Leon, PhD

Director, Program Evaluation, Research and Analysis

Samantha De Leon serves as the Director of Program Evaluation at the Primary Care Information Project. She is responsible for managing the Evaluation, Research and Analytics team that conducts program evaluation and research on the impact of health information technology, quality improvement incentives and activities on patient quality of care in the primary care setting across New York City. Samantha and her team use a variety of data sources including electronic health records data, Medicaid and ambulatory clearinghouse claims, surveys, and primary data collected through various program initiatives. She received her PhD in Epidemiology/ Environmental Medicine from New York University School of Medicine.

Winfred Y. Wu, MD, MPH

Executive Director, Development

Winfred Wu serves as 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 MPH from Columbia University.

Achievements

26000

Healthcare professionals that have joined NYC REACH

Patients impacted by NYC REACH practices

300M

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 City (FPHNYC), 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 FPHNYC, please visit http://www.fphnyc.org/innovators/joinourteam/ 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

Avi Bitton

M. Avi Bitton, MD, PC

Arturo Caesar

Sr. Arturo A. Caesar, MD, PC

Teresa Chan

Lower East Side Family Medicine

Edgar Flores-Castillo

Edgar Flores-Castillo, MD, PC

Patricia Hart

Patricia M. Hart, MD

Isak Isakov

Isak Isakov Medical, PC

Lewis Marshall

Lewis W. Marshall Jr MD, PC

Frank Maselli

Riverdale Family Practice

Kathleen McCabe

Select Medicine, PC

Alexander McMeeking

Chelsea Village Medical

Robert Morrow

Robert W. Morrow, MD, PC

Maxine Orris

Community Health Empowerment/Orris, MD, PLLC

Michael Richter

Michael Richter, MD

Saulius Skeivys

Woodside Family Health Center

Gerald Weber

Murray Hill Podiatric Associates

Edwin Young

Mount Sinai University Medical Practice Associates