The Illinois Primary Health Care Association and its member community health centers (CHCs) recognize the complexity of and need for information technology.  Without it, CHCs will not be able to effectively track clinical and financial data across entire patient populations as mandated by rigorous grant and FQHC reporting requirements, which will result in a significant negative impact on funding.  The importance of developing a strong infrastructure, which includes implementing a full electronic health record system, is critical to the longevity of CHCs. In response to this need, IPHCA is implementing a health information network specifically for Federally Qualified Health Centers.  On behalf of its members, IPHCA selected NextGen® Healthcare Information Systems’ EPM and EHR products for the network.  NextGen’s software was designed to accommodate the unique needs of community health centers, and the EPM and EHR modules are a fully integrated solution.  Through its parent company, Quality Systems, Incorporated (QSI), NextGen is also able to offer an EDR solution that dovetails with the NextGen suite.  One of the most significant benefits to Illinois’ community health centers who join the e-net network are the extensive cost savings over implementing EPM/EHR/EDR independently.  Based on a recent cost comparison for a health center with 14 providers, e-net membership results in 127% savings in initial system purchase (including hardware)         9.7 % savings in annual maintenance 47% savings on staffing/training costs It’s no wonder IPHCA’s e-net is the EHR network chosen by most Illinois community health centers!