Sign posts on the journey to HIEs
Only he that has traveled the road knows where the holes are deep - Chinese proverb
Funding Expected for Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers
Twenty grants are expected to be awarded under the Health Information Technology Extension Program (Extension Program) in the first quarter of FY2010.
Another 25 grants are scheduled to be awarded in the third quarter and the remaining awards in the fourth quarter of FY2010, according to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
The initial funding includes approximately $598 million to ensure that comprehensive support is available to providers under the Extension Program beginning early in FY2010, with an additional $45 million available for years 3 and 4 of the program. Federal support continues for four years, after which the program is expected to be self-sustaining. Of the total federal investment in this program, about $50 million is dedicated to establishing the national HITRC, and $643 million is devoted to the Regional Centers.
Regional Centers
The Extension Program provides grants for the establishment of Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (Regional Centers) that will offer technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices to support and accelerate health care providers' efforts to become meaningful users of Electronic Health Records (EHRs).
The Extension Program will establish cooperative agreements through a competitive process to support an estimated 70 (or more) Regional Centers each serving a defined geographic area. The Regional Centers will support at least 100,000 primary care providers, through participating non-profit organizations, in achieving meaningful use of EHRs and enabling nationwide health information exchange.
HIT Research Center
The Extension Program will also establish a national Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC), funded separately, which will gather relevant information on effective practices from a wide variety of sources across the country. The Program will also help the Regional Centers collaborate with one another and with relevant stakeholders to identify and share best practices in EHR adoption, effective use, and provider support.
Additional information can be found at: http://healthit.hhs.gov/extensionprogram
Meaningful Use and the Electronic Health Information Exchange — Updates from Dr. David Blumenthal
Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, reminds readers of his ongoing updates that the HITECH Act provisions of the Recovery Act "create a truly historic opportunity to transform our health system through unprecedented investments in the development of a nationwide electronic health information system. This system will ultimately help facilitate, inform, measure, and sustain improvements in the quality, efficiency, and safety of health care available to every American."
Dr. Blumenthal also encourages physicians to consider incentive payments available to them for meaningful use of health information technology under the HITECH Act. He notes that eligible physicians, including those in solo or small practices, can receive up to $44,000 over five years under Medicare or $63,750 over six years under Medicaid for being meaningful users of certified electronic health records.
Hospitals that become meaningful EHR users could receive up to four years of financial incentive payments under Medicare beginning in 2011, and up to six years of incentive payments under Medicaid beginning in October 2010.