The Riley County Health Department on Nov. 13 received commission approval to contract with Patagonia Health for a cloud‑based electronic health record (EHR) system.

Health Director Diane Creek said the department evaluated seven qualified vendors and unanimously recommended Patagonia Health because it met clinical, billing and public‑health integration needs. "The total cost of the 5 year agreement with Patagonia Health is approximately $215,911," Creek told commissioners, adding that the figure includes implementation, training and subscription services.

Creek outlined the payment schedule: an initial setup and training payment of about $67,493, a base monthly subscription of $2,394 (covers up to 20 users), and an estimated cost if expanded to 30 users of roughly $3,594 per month. She said rollout would begin in January 2026 and the department is targeting an April 2026 go‑live.

Commissioners approved the agreement and authorized the chair to sign the contractual documents. Creek said ongoing subscription and maintenance costs will be budgeted annually from the Health Department general fund and that additional optional interfaces (health information exchange, bulk uploads) could be added later at published rates.

The department also requested and received approval for a temporary part‑time fiscal analyst (up to 10 hours per week) to cover billing and reporting while a permanent replacement is recruited.