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Health

Federal Stimulus Dollars Boost California Electronic Health Systems

Doctors offices around the state are improving their electronic record-keeping, thanks to an infusion of federal stimulus dollars.

California officials said health providers have received almost three quarters of a billion dollars to move away from paper files.

Dr. Gilbert Simon runs the Sacramento Family Medical Clinics. He said digital systems help doctors monitor diabetes patients, and reach out to patients with lung disease when it’s time to get a flu shot.

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“This is all to benefit patients," said Simon. "And you can’t benefit patients unless you know what you’re doing for the patients. So this allows us to measure what we’re doing.”

Dr. Simon also said going digital may not save a doctor’s time but allows for more complete and thorough record-keeping.

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