title: Electronic health information system at an opioid treatment programme: roadblocks to implementation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Electronic health systems are commonly included in health care reform discussions. However, their embrace by the health care community has been slow.
  
  
  METHODS
  At Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation, a methadone maintenance programme that also provides primary medical care, HIV medical care and case management, substance abuse counselling and vocational services, we describe our experience in implementing an electronic health information system that encompasses all of these areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We describe the challenges and opportunities of this process in terms of change management, hierarchy of corporate objectives, process mastering, training issues, information technology governance, electronic security, and communication and collaboration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This description may provide practical insights to other institutions seeking to pursue this technology.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Services, Research and Information Technology, Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Louie
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kritz
authors.forename: Lawrence S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Madray
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zavala
mesh_terms: D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000534:rehabilitation; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers