The WVRHITEC is staffed by a team of professionals with extensive experience in health care, technology and clinic al services. They are available to fulfill the HITECH Act’s objective of making health information technology accessible and assisting providers in using technology in a meaningful way to improve health outcomes.
Team Bios
Below is a information about the WVRHITEC team.
Management Team
Dwayne Edwards
Dwayne Edwards is the REC Director of the West Virginia Regional HIT Extension Center. As Director, he is responsible for day-to-day management and operations, as well as overseeing the Health Improvement Institute’s staff that support the WVRHITEC.
Edwards has 20 years of experience in healthcare management, technology systems and operations.
Edwards provides the center extensive experience in electronic health record implementation, as well as corporate compliance, HIPAA compliance, resource management, strategic planning, marketing, patient satisfaction, provider evaluation, and federal/state reporting and budgeting with a focus on Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Edwards also has served on regional healthcare planning committees as well as regional threat preparedness efforts.
David Campbell
David Campbell is strategic and privacy counselor to the West Virginia Regional HIT Extension Center He also is CEO of the Community Health Network of WV (CHNWV).
Campbell helped establish CHNWV in 2000 as a health improvement-focused network of community health centers that was the first in the country to use a public domain electronic health record (RPMS) as a community health improvement tool.
He also assisted in the formation and initial funding of the West Virginia Telehealth Alliance, the WV Connect program to expand access to care for the uninsured, the West Virginia Health Improvement Institute. He served as a part-time consultant for the Governor’s Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
Prior to his leadership of CHNWV, Campbell served as Chief of Staff for West Virginia Governor Gaston Caperton from 1993 to 1996. He was responsible for budget, legislation and health care policy and participated in Medicaid oversight and coordination with national health care initiatives.
He previously practiced as an attorney and CPA and has more than 30 years of business experience, including representation of health care organizations and operation of commercial ventures.
He currently serves on the board of directors of Mountain State Blue Cross & Blue Shield. Campbell has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree from Marshall University and a Juris Doctorate degree from West Virginia University.
Sarah Chouinard
Sarah Chouinard, MD is an EHR Advisor and Chief Medical Officer to the West Virginia Regional HIT Extension Center and part of the management team.
She also is the Medical Director of Primary Care Systems, Inc. (an FQHC in Clay, West Virginia). In addition, Chouinard serves as the Chief Clinical Advisor for the Community Health Network of West Virginia.
Dr. Chouinard also serves a member of the Indian Health Service clinical committee on its electronic health information system and to HRSA for health system realignment.
She is a Vice President of the W.Va. chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, a member of the West Virginia Health Information Network board of directors and assists with the clinical initiatives of the West Virginia Health Improvement Institute.
She was recognized by the West Virginia Rural Health Association as “Rural Practitioner of the Year” in 2008 and was recently featured in stories by Governing magazine and CNN on HIT and health reform.
Dr. Chouinard is a co-founder of the Fayetteville Skate Park, a multi-faceted recreational facility promoting physical activity and wellness for youth and adults in southern WV.
She has a degree in neurobiology from the University of Vermont and has conducted scientific research at the University of California. She is a graduate of Marshall University’s School of Medicine.
James DeGarmo
James DeGarmo is a Strategic Services Director for the WVRHITEC and is the Director of Operations of The Upper Ohio Valley Individual Practice Association. DeGarmo is responsible for the daily operation and management of The IPA.
The IPA has been actively promoting the adoption of electronic health records systems by their 296 member physicians since 2006. As a strategic service partner with the West Virginia Regional Health Information Technology Extension Center, the IPA will be providing technical and support services to eligible providers in the state’s northern panhandle region.
DeGarmo has more than 25 years of experience in multiple aspects of the healthcare industry in West Virginia and Ohio.
He has experience as a hospital controller, the CFO of three behavioral healthcare centers, and as a hospital and medical clinic auditor.
DeGarmo has a Bachelor of Science in Business from Alderson-Broaddus College.
Lawrence J. Malone
Larry Malone is the Communications and Outreach Director for the West Virginia Regional HIT Extension Center. In this role he manages the center’s communications, marketing and outreach activities and serves as liaison on behalf of the WVRHITEC with other state HIT initiatives and state officials.
Malone is owner of Malone Consulting Services, which provides communications services to business clients and non-profit organizations.
In his 25-year career he has held a number of leadership roles with state non-profit organizations, including the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the West Virginia Oil & Natural Gas Association.
He also has worked as a Vice President with two national PR firms. Malone is Chairman of the West Virginia Telehealth Alliance and has been an active participant in numerous HIT and health broadband initiatives in West Virginia.
He is co-recipient of the West Virginia Chapter 2007 “Best PR Campaign Award” from the Public Relations Society of America. Malone has a B.S. in Journalism from West Virginia University.
Patricia Ruddick
Patty Ruddick is the West Virginia Medical Institute’s (WVMI) Project Director for the WVRHITEC. In this role, Patty directs WVMI’s day-to-day management and operations as a sub-recipient to the West Virginia Regional HIT Extension Center’s Federal Grant and is responsible for direct assistance, education and outreach to health care providers.
Ruddick is also the Director of Patient Safety for WVMI and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in patient safety and health care quality improvement.
She continues to direct many patient safety and health care quality projects and grants at WVMI and has performed research and training collaboratives in many areas of health care, including patient safety, rural health care, health information technology, and privacy and security.
She is also a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Kay Smith
Kay Smith is a Project Manager at the West Virginia Health Improvement Institute, and she also works with the Community Health Network of West Virginia.
Her work for the WVHII includes coordinating and managing the Direct Messaging and HIE projects, managing and updating of the tracking software for the WVRHITEC and interacting with the REC field staff on issues related to the EHR implementation activities.
At the CHNWV, Kay serves as a project coordinator with the technical support group, Medical Manager Support and RPMS (EHR) support.
She assisted in the research, coordination, training and the implementation of the new issue management system Web Help Desk for the CHNWV practice sites. Also, she has been trained in Microsoft SharePoint Services. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a BA in Broadcasting Communications.