Health care technology company athenahealth will provide free electronic health record service, which will improve care to the Rutgers Health clinic’s uninsured patients.

The Health Outreach Practice Experience (H.O.P.E.) Clinic, a free health clinic in the Rutgers School of Health Professions that serves uninsured patients in Plainfield, N.J., has received a grant to transition from a paper-based system to an electronic health record (EHR) system.

The grant, awarded through the athenaGives Free Clinic Partnership Program, will provide a cloud-based EHR service at no cost starting in December 2024 to enhance the quality of care provided to patients and the educational experience of the physician assistant students who care for them.

(Anna Pieta and Alexandra Lawrence, students in the physician assistant program at Rutgers School of Health Professions, work with Jessica Gomes (center), an assistant professor and interpreter coordinator of the H.O.P.E. Clinic).

“Transitioning to electronic records is a crucial step for the H.O.P.E. Clinic,” said Jessica Gomes, an assistant professor and interpreter coordinator of the H.O.P.E. Clinic and the author of the grant. “We can provide more comprehensive and compassionate care to those who need it most. This change will enhance our efficiency, allowing our team to spend more time with patients rather than managing paperwork, streamline our administrative tasks and facilitate better communication among our healthcare providers and patients.”

Read more in Rutgers Today.