Category — ARRA

Posted by Mitch Wagner,

National health IT coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal dropped a big hint about upcoming criteria for giving out e-health records grants. He advised healthcare IT managers to focus on “goals of care” rather than technology.

Blumenthal works for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for giving out grant money to reimburse healthcare providers for implementing electronic medical records. The U.S. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which set aside the money, specified that the funding will go to “meaningful use” of EMRs, but did not specify a definition for the phrase. HHS plans to release a preliminary definition of meaningful use next month. But Blumenthal dropped a hint at an address at the Medical Informatics Association’s annual symposium. He “gave attendees what they wanted to hear by reiterating his philosophy that technology simply is an enabler of quality improvement, not a panacea for healthcare,” according to FierceEMR.

“The meaningful use framework will be about the goals of care, not the technology,” Blumenthal said. While he didn’t elaborate on that statement, he did state the position of the Obama administration–one largely held by the informatics community, if not the broader healthcare industry–that the billions of dollars in federal subsidies aren’t simply meant to buy EMRs for providers. “It’s not the money that will turn out to be the most important,” Blumenthal said.

Instead, the net $19 billion investment is a way to demonstrate that EMRs should and will be accepted in the fairly near future as “symbolic of professionalism in medicine,” just as much as the stethoscope or examination table are today. “The idea that government should subsidize health IT will be as foreign an idea that the government should buy stethoscopes or exam tables for doctors,” Blumenthal explained.

“Information is really the lifeblood of medicine,” Blumenthal added. “Health information technology is its circulatory system.”

Final standards for meaningful use will be released in the spring, after a period of public comment on the first effort to be released by the end of the year, according to a ModernHealthcare.com write-up of Blumenthal’s address.

Blumenthal stressed that health IT must be focused on the goal of making the healthcare system work better for patients and providers.

“It’s not the technology that’s important, but its effect,” Blumenthal said. “That’s the purpose of the stimulus bill.”….

While Blumenthal declined to give a specific definition of meaningful use, he offered some hints. People working in health IT should think about EHRs “not as a technology project, but as a change-management project,” he said. Components of meaningful use include sociology, psychology, behavior change and the “mobilization of levers to change complex systems and improve their performance,” he added.

Through the stimulus law, Congress mandated that meaningful use become more focused over time, with yearly benchmarks. There has been a “lively discussion” in the Obama administration of that timetable in the proposed rulemaking of meaningful use, Blumenthal said.

Privacy and security will be essential, he said.

HHS plans to announce the first round of recipients of two major rounds of grants soon, Blumenthal said. The first, for $700 million, will establish up to 70 health IT regional extension centers nationwide to help healthcare providers become meaningful users of EHRs. The second program offers $560 million in grants to states to develop health information exchanges linking providers.

HHS also plans programs to increase the supply of trained health IT workers.

“The skills needed are not necessarily what our teenage children have,” Blumenthal said, which brought laughter from the crowd.

Specifically, the nation needs professionals who understand meaningful use and improved processes of care, the ability to redesign workplaces to integrate the new technology and to help providers use the technology to its full potential, he said.

“The training needed is well beyond the installation of information technology,” he said.

Blumenthal expressed great confidence that health IT can be a foundation for fundamental change in the healthcare system.

“I believe it will be a short time before EHRs are as common in medicine as the stethoscope, the cardiogram, the MRI and other core tools,” he said. “I think we’re already moving in that direction.”

Above article published on http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/11/blumenthal_pati.html;jsessionid=0K5NXFIO4JNUHQE1GHOSKHWATMY32JVN

Posted by Lora Bentley

Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, is responsible for doling out government grants to reimburse health care organizations that implement electronic records technology. According to the HITECH section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, nearly $22 billion in federal funds has been set aside to “advance the use of health information technology.” A significant portion of that amount will take the form of grants to those health care organizations that can demonstrate “meaningful use” of such IT.

However, what exactly “meaningful use” will entail has been unclear. HHS is expected to release a definition in December, InformationWeek blogger Mitch Wagner says. But those who attended the Medical Informatics Association’s symposium got a “heads up” from Blumenthal on what that definition will focus on.

FierceEMR’s Neil Versel quotes Blumenthal this way:

The meaningful use framework will be about the goals of care, not the technology.

It’s a matter of using technology to improve patient care, not just installing the technology to say you have it. Versel speculates that the goal is to make electronic recordkeeping a best practice, the EMR system a standard medical tool, just as stethoscopes and examination tables are standard now.

Take, for instance, my own experience. I visited the local immediate care center over the weekend when I got tired of a wrenched neck muscle making my life miserable.I filled out the initial paperwork, listed my maintenance prescriptions, gave them the name of my primary care physician, the date of my last visit to her office, insurance information and all the rest. When they called me back, I gave my primary doctor’s name and listed all my meds and my medication allergies (again) for the nurse who took my temperature and blood pressure.

Then, guess what? The doctor came in, looked at my chart, asked again who my primary care physician was and what kinds of anti-inflammatory and muscle spasm medications had worked for me in the past, which ones irritated my stomach and which ones didn’t. After a little over an hour, I was out of there, prescriptions in hand, confident that the pain in my neck was about to go away.

All in all, it was a good experience — especially considering I would have waited at least twice that long if I had gone to the emergency room. But, I was reminded how helpful health IT will be. If the immediate care center and my primary care office had EMR systems that allowed easy sharing of patient information — with my consent, of course — then my visit would have been even quicker. I wouldn’t have had to go through the litany of information three times, and the doctor who treated me would have had my medication history at her fingertips, allowing her to make better informed decisions.

Above article published on http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/bentley/hitech-meaningful-use-more-about-improving-patient-care-than-tech-itself/?cs=37689

HDM Breaking News, By - Joseph Goedert

The meaningful use workgroup of the HIT Policy Committee has released its initial recommendations for a definition of “meaningful use” of electronic health records. The definition is important because under the economic stimulus law, providers must “meaningfully use” EHRs to receive financial incentives from Medicare and Medicaid.

These initial recommendations do not include a formal definition of meaningful use. But they are the initial recommendation of the functionalities that will be required by 2011 when incentives start. “This is the beginning of a conversation that will continue for some time,” said David Blumenthal, M.D., the national coordinator for health information technology, during a meeting of the HIT Policy Committee, a public-private advisory group. Blumenthal added that “there is a long way to go” before a final definition of meaningful use is achieved.

The workgroup’s initial recommendations include 22 objectives–most covering inpatient and outpatient care–for EHRs in 2011. These include, among others:

• Use CPOE for all order types including medications;
• Implement drug-drug, drug-allergy and drug-formulary checks;
• Maintain an up-to-date problem list;
• Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically;
• Maintain an active medication allergy list;
• Send reminders to patients per their preference for preventive and follow-up care;
• Document a progress note for each encounter;
• Provide patients with an electronic copy or electronic access to clinical information such as lab results, problem list, medication lists and allergies;
• Provide clinical summaries for patients for each encounter;
• Exchange key clinical information among providers of care;
• Perform medication reconciliation at relevant encounters;
• Submit electronic data to immunization registries where required and accepted;
• Provide electronic submissions of reportable lab results to public health agencies;
• Provide electronic surveillance data to public health agencies according to applicable law and practice; and

• Comply with federal and state privacy/security laws and the fair data sharing practices in HHS’ Nationwide Privacy and Security Framework, released in December 2008.

The HIT Policy Committee will make the final recommendations on meaningful use definitions to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

HHS is mandated to publish an interim final rule for standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria of EHRs that qualify for financial incentives by the end of 2009. CMS will develop the formal definition of meaningful use to support the incentive programs. CMS will go through the full administrative rules process with a proposed rule, public comment period and a final rule. A timetable was not given.

The recommendations from the meaningful use workgroup include a matrix of objectives for 2011, plus enhanced objectives for 2013 and 2015. The workgroup will refine the initial recommendations for 2011 and 2013 within three months.

The meaningful use workgroup also has laid out an “achievable vision” for benefits to be realized by 2015. These include reductions in heart attacks, medical errors, and preventable hospitalizations.

For more information, click here. Scroll down and click on “meaningful use preamble” and “meaningful use matrix.” Updates from certification/adoption and information exchange workgroups also are available.

Above article published on http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/meaningful_use-38487-1.html

A Map to Your Money

By Steven Kraus, DC, DIBCN, CCSP, FASA

Say it once, they hear you. Say it twice, they understand you. Say it three times, they take action. Maybe you’re aware of the philosophy that you have to communicate a message at least three times - and perhaps in different ways - in order to create an actionable response.

That’s precisely what the government is doing regarding meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR), and each time they communicate, they get more specific. So, although I’ve talked in broader terms about meaningful use, I’m following the government’s lead and breaking down what they’re saying (the how and the when) to create an actionable response from you - before it’s too late to cash in on $44,000. Doctors of chiropractic, start your engines.

Leader of the Pack

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s HIT Policy Committee is in charge of defining the parameters of EHRs qualifying for stimulus plan dollars - up to $44,000, depending on when you adopt the technology. The HIT organization recently sent me a communication that outlines the latest draft of requirements. I don’t have the space to inform you of every one of them, but I want to take this opportunity to drill it down. Because the regulations are well-defined, complying should not be difficult. Here’s a quick summary:

• Your EHR must be qualified through forthcoming certification by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT).
• You will be required to employ “meaningful use” of your EHR.
• You must report on calculated measures as defined by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, such as outcome and pain assessment for region, quality and intensity of pain.

Stipulations one and three are pretty straightforward, but truly, what the heck is meaningful use? What’s meaningful to you might not be meaningful to me and vice versa. But we don’t get to define that; the government does. The fact is, if you have the right software partner - one who is aware of the guidelines, automatically and continuously updating your software, and showing you how to use the technology - you should have little concern. Put the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of your vendor. If broad enough, they will shoulder the burden for you.

Another important announcement from the HIT Policy Committee (in August) indicated that the only current certifying body shall be the CCHIT, which will verify whether your EHR meets the standards required by the HIT Policy Committee for the $44,000 incentive payments. Additionally, they will likely blend some of the rules of meaningful use and reporting into certification approval so your EHR can properly assist you in achieving meaningful use.

The Green Flag

Here’s an eye opener: If you don’t have a meaningfully used qualified EHR in place during the next several months (by the end of first quarter of next year), you may miss up to $18,000 - the first year’s eligible payments for 2011. But that’s just the first year. Over the following four (through 2015), the HIT Policy Committee will continue to increase its requirements every two years. If you get on board in early 2010, not only will you be eligible for stimulus funds, but you also will have to meet fewer requirements than those who adopt the technology later.

For example, in 2013, the qualifying criteria will likely be doubled from what they were in 2011; by 2015, tripled. Scary? Maybe. But not really for those who are prepared. In the first two years of eligibility (2011 and 2012), a chiropractic physician can receive up to $30,000. It makes sense not only to start your engines, but also to step on the gas and go.

Three-Way Tie for First Place

Although you may not have guessed it, the HIT Policy Committee developed its guidelines for three-way benefit: payers, doctors and patients. Now ultimately, it’s the patients who will benefit most from your adopting - and meaningfully using - a qualified EHR, but the benefits for you are obvious, too. Your office will run more efficiently, records will be quicker to access, information will be easier to gather and report; and, then there’s the whole matter of the $44,000 incentive.

According to several estimates, the average cost for one medical doctor to introduce an electronic health record system plus hardware is $40,000 to $60,000. The cost for one doctor of chiropractic to purchase true EHR software is $12,000 (plus any hardware you may require). Take that however you’d like, but the fact of the matter is, in our profession, we are poised to not only get fully reimbursed for adopting, but also to have a little pocket change left over for all the hardware and training you would ever need.

You know there is a caveat, however. The longer you wait, the less money you’ll get, based on the incentive schedule of payments. And, if you don’t adopt at all, you’ll get financially penalized - in the form of lesser Medicare claims reimbursement. Ouch.

What’s Under the Hood?

Here’s a look at a few of the elements that make up the HIT Policy Committee’s upcoming requirements for your EHR. In order to qualify, you must do the following:

provide access to patient-specific education resources before 2011;

• provide patients with an electronic copy of their health information before 2011;
• incorporate lab-test results into your EHR before 2011;
• send preference-based reminders to patients for preventative/follow-up care before 2011;
• record clinical documentation in your EHR in 2013;
• use evidence-based order sets in 2013; and
• provide clinical decision support at point of care (reminders, alerts, etc.) in 2013.

Many of you may already be taking measures to meet these criteria. If you’re not, it’s not too late, but you’ll want to get off the starting blocks quickly.

Drive With Purpose

Let’s go back to the concept of meaningful use. When you’re looking at an EHR system, don’t buy it just to qualify for stimulus money. Make sure it’s interoperable, easy to use and allows you to report on predetermined measures as well as demonstrate meaningful use. Although meaningful use has different definitions from person to person, the HIT Policy Committee’s definition is becoming clearer. However, there is still some fine-tuning, and we should expect to see results published by December of this year.

Winning the Race

At this point, it’s a race against the clock. Although you don’t have to be the first one to reach the checkered flag (adoption, installation, implementation, understanding and meaningful use of a qualified EHR), you do have to reach it without hesitation if you want to qualify for the bigger payouts in the first two years of government incentive payments.

Should that sound overwhelming, take the pressure off. Keeping your software up-to-date in accordance with government guidelines (this includes criteria on federally defined meaningful use) means keeping reimbursements coming over the years. Otherwise, you might qualify for stimulus plan dollars now, but fail to do so through 2015. Some DCs won’t qualify at all because their EHR vendor does not have the capacity or infrastructure to meet all of the criteria for development of a true EHR. This becomes even more problematic, as other entities such as Medicare and insurers will likely require the same government certification in the coming years in order to participate in their panels of providers or to participate in reimbursement programs.

I’ve previously asked, “Why wait?” when it comes to adopting technology. Now, it’s not a question of why; that’s established - because the federal government is driving the technology (the “what”) in order to comply with changing regulations and to achieve cost savings across all avenues of health care. The “when” is also in place - by early 2010, in order to qualify for the first available annual payments totaling up to $44,000 for each doctor (the “where”) in your office. The “how” is by choosing the right EHR and support structure to assist you in being the clinic of the future rather than the clinic of the past - to call on experts and partners to help you meet the criteria smoothly, efficiently and effectively. “Who?” That’s you.

Above article published on http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=54297

By Brian Robinson

Most hospital and physician offices have their work cut out for them to meet the health IT meaningful use requirements of the HITECH Act, according to a new study – and they will only do so by carefully architecting IT solutions to capture and manage data in a way that’s intuitive for clinicians.

The study from HIMSS Analytics maps the requirements of the stimulus law to the organization’s own seven-stage EMR Adoption Model (EMRAM). The results identify implementation gaps that need to be bridged if the health care industry is to meet the 2015 targets for meaningful use.

Certain parts of the process will be relatively easy. The study’s author, HIMSS Analytics’ vice president Michael Davis, points out that the 2011 HITECH measurements that require first stage EMRAM functionality – installation of laboratory, radiology and pharmacy information systems – can already be met by some 90 percent of the relevant hospital departments.

After that, however, things get progressively trickier. The only Stage 2 requirement for the 2011 measurements, for example, is the ability to store lab results in structured formats such as Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), but many hospitals can’t do that yet.

Measurements that require Stage 3 functionality is where the real challenges start to turn up. The higher levels of clinical decision support systems that will be needed have so far been implemented by less than a quarter of the healthcare market, for example, and there are broad differences among systems in the ease with which they allow data elements to be added.

The 2013 HITECH measures ratchet things up significantly. Orders will need to be tracked through a computer physician order entry (CPOE) system, an EMRAM Stage 4 capability, but less than half of U.S. hospitals have it, only some 11 percent of physicians managing patients in hospitals use it, and under five percent of hospitals require their doctors to use CPOE.

Similarly, the HIMSS study points out, hospitals are lagging in their ability to provide such things as portals that patients can use to get access to their medical records. Few hospitals have so far chosen to even participate in data sharing projects.

Measures for 2015 are not so well-defined yet, but at the least they suggest that substantial data sharing and reporting on defined metrics will be a major requirement, Davis writes. That means that the adoption of CPOE by physicians will have to increase substantially by then. Also, all hospitals will have to implement clinical data warehouses.

So, Davis concludes, though hospitals that have achieved the EMRAM stage 3 capabilities are well positioned to meet the 2011 ARRA requirements, by 2015 they will need to have the majority of their physicians using stage 6 applications, with completely electronic medical records in place.

Only those organizations that understand those needs will survive the upcoming healthcare delivery transformation, he said.

Government Health IT magazine is published by HIMSS.

Above article published on http://www.govhealthit.com/newsitem.aspx?tid=10&nid=72187

By Wendy Johnson

Although HHS has yet to publish its criteria for “meaningful use” of EHRs, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology is pushing forward with a new certification program that opened Wednesday.

“We don’t want to lose time,” Dr. Mark Leavitt, CCHIT chairman, told AHIMA Conference attendees Monday in Grapevine, Texas. To date, CCHIT is the only body recognized by the federal government to certify EHRs to qualify for ARRA funding. “We’re skating toward where the puck is going to be rather than waiting for it to move,” Leavitt said.

CCHIT now offers two types of EHR certification. Both would likely expire on Dec. 31, 2012:

• CCHIT Certified 2011–Maximum assurance that it has comprehensive, integrated EHR capabilities and that it meets or exceeds ARRA standards. This certification is tailored to specific uses, such as ambulatory clinics, child health, e-prescribing, inpatient settings and emergency departments.

• Preliminary ARRA 2011 Certification–Maximum flexibility in meeting ARRA standards. This option is designed for vendors, developers and providers to ensure they will meet the 2011 certification requirements when HHS finalizes the rules next spring. This “chocolate and vanilla” certification is designed for vendors to give them the “thumbs up on the ARRA side,” Leavitt said.

The commission will add a third, site-specific program for healthcare providers around June 2010, including for long-term care, post-acute care, behavioral health and other settings, he said.

Above article published on

http://www.fierceemr.com/story/arra-certification-starts-week/2009-10-06?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

By Wendy Johnson

Physician practices and hospitals that have yet to select or implement an EMR system should get a move on. Those who wait until next year will face a “high risk” of failing to achieve “meaningful use” of health IT in time for the 2011-12 federal incentives, Mark Leavitt, chairman of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, warned at the annual AHIMA conference on Monday in Grapevine, Texas.

“You’re dreaming if you think you can achieve it in less than a year,” Leavitt said, referring to hospitals. Achieving meaningful use of an EMR system will take at least 18 months, if not two years, he warned.

HHS expects to publish its criteria for certification of EMRs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as well as its definition of “‘meaningful use” for qualifying for ARRA Incentives, by the end of the year. Both measures should be finalized by spring 2010 after a public comment period. All told, the federal government will pony up $34 billion in incentives for meaningful use of certified EMR technology–the equivalent of what the U.S. spent to send the first man to the moon, Leavitt said.

Above article published on

http://www.fierceemr.com/story/dont-wait-until-next-year-implement-emr-leavitt-warns/2009-10-06#ixzz0TiG540KQ

Building on the historic $19 billion investment provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), efforts continued today to further the national adoption and implementation of health information technology (HIT) — an essential tool to modernize the health care system and bring about improved health for all Americans. The Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committee, a Federal Advisory Committee (FACA) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), met today to begin the process of defining “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHRs). This meeting is a first step for the department, as it investigates possible definitions for meaningful use.

“We are moving fast to achieve the President’s goal to improve the health and well-being of every American through the on-going use of health information technology,” stated HHS’ National Coordinator for Health Information Technology David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P. “The work of the policy committee is a first step toward assuring that technology — the electronic health record — is used in a meaningful way to provide better patient care.”

The Recovery Act provides Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments to eligible providers, such as physicians and hospitals, in order to increase the adoption of EHRs. To receive the incentive payments, providers must demonstrate “meaningful use” of a certified EHR. Building upon the work done

by the HIT Policy Committee, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), along with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), will be developing a proposed rule that provides greater detail on the incentive program and proposes a definition of meaningful use. CMS expects to issue the proposed rule in late 2009, which will be followed by a comment period.

The recommendations discussed today represent extensive work by the Committee’s Meaningful Use Workgroup to review and evaluate diverse ideas and contributions from Workgroup members along with information from a public hearing on meaningful use convened in April by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS). The NCVHS hearing brought together key healthcare and information technology stakeholder groups. The workgroup also reviewed written comments from additional diverse stakeholders.

A public comment period on today’s recommendations will be open through the close of business on Friday, June 26, 2009. Instructions on how to submit public comment can be found at http://healthit.hhs.gov.

“The workgroup’s recommendations demonstrate the breadth of meaningful use and the linkage of use to individual care and population health outcomes,” stated Dr. Blumenthal. “ONC and CMS recognize that achieving meaningful use will not be easy, but it is a journey we must take if we are to improve care through the use of EHRs.”

Above article published on

http://www.chiroeco.com/chiropractic/news/8144/1100/Process-begins-to-define-meaningful-use-of-EHRs/

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a report Thursday on how information technology can improve healthcare for Americans living in rural communities.

The report examines how the Columbia Basin Health Association in Othello, Wash., uses IT to improve healthcare quality and patient safety as well as promote care coordination and continuity.

“The Columbia Basin Health Association is just one place in America where health information technology and electronic health records have helped ensure patients get better care,” said Sebelius. “Health information technology can reduce paperwork, make care more efficient and let doctors spend more time practicing medicine and less time filling out forms.”

The CBHA provides 25,000 patients with access to a variety of medical, dental, prescription and other services at four sites and was one of the first health centers in the United States to fully transition from paper-based charts to an electronic health record system.

In response to the growing prevalence of diabetes in rural communities, the CBHA used its EHR system to track 1,302 diabetic patients, monitoring whether they received recommended exams and providing feedback to healthcare providers on their performance.

In January 2008, 31 percent of patients at the CBHA had received a foot exam and 37 percent had received an eye exam during the previous year. By June 2008, 86 percent of patients had received a foot exam and 63 percent had received an eye exam over the previous year.

According to the report, since the CBHA’s implementation of EHRs, the community health center has consistently ranked above the 95th percentile nationally in total medical and dental team productivity.

Approximately 65 million Americans live in communities with shortages of primary care providers and nearly 50 million live in rural areas. Sebelius said health information technology, and specifically EHRs, can improve care for patients and assist in clinical decision-making and the use of evidence-based guidelines. EHRs can also decrease administrative hassle, increasing workplace satisfaction and productivity.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act encourages greater use of health information technology through significant new investments, Sebelius said. Through incentive payments to providers and hospitals, she said, the ARRA will accelerate the adoption of health information technology and creation of an interoperable, nationwide network, and health insurance reform will build on this investment by simplifying and streamlining administrative procedures, investing in telehealth and improving the quality of healthcare.

Above article published on

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hhs-secretary-speaks-power-healthcare-it-rural-communities

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has awarded grants totaling $27.8 million to health center-controlled networks and large multi-site health centers to implement electronic health records and other health information technology.

“The increased use of health information technology is a key focus of our reform efforts because it will help to improve the safety and quality of healthcare generally while also cutting waste out of the system,” she said.

The funds are part of the $2 billion allotted to HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to expand healthcare services to low-income and uninsured individuals through its health center program.

“These funds to expand and upgrade electronic health records systems will make a huge difference for health centers struggling to provide healthcare to the growing number of people in need,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield.

Eighteen grants totaling more than $22.6 million will support EHR implementation, and another $2.6 million will help four grantees implement a variety of health IT innovations. This includes the creation of health information exchanges and the incorporation of health IT at dental delivery sites. Another five grants, totalling more than $2.5 million, will help health centers devise plans to use existing EHRs to improve patient health outcomes.

“Broad use of health information technology has the potential to improve healthcare quality, prevent medical errors and increase the efficiency of care provision,” said David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health information technology. “This program supports the department’s overall efforts to assist physicians and hospitals in adopting and becoming meaningful users of health information technology.”

Above article published on

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hhs-releases-28m-arra-funding-accelerate-health-it