The Ventura County Board of Supervisors has approved a proposal to award a $32 million contract to health IT vendor Cerner to shift the county's electronic health record systems to one central EHR system. Ventura County Health Care Agency Director Robert Gonzalez said the centralized EHR system will cut costs and improve the quality of care by reducing medication errors and complication rates. The shift to a centralized system also will help the county qualify for meaningful use incentive payments and avoid penalties under the federal economic stimulus package. The project is set to begin immediately and will take 14 to 18 months to complete. For additional coverage of California's efforts to receive federal incentives for the meaningful use of EHRs, see today's Capitol Desk post.