The great debate of August will be long remembered for the furor over health
care reform. Over time, though, the summer of 2009 may well be better noted as
when America
got serious about converting to electronic medical records. As a part of the
stimulus package President Obama signed into law in February, the White House
said Aug. 20 nearly $1.2 billion in grants are now available to help hospitals
and health care providers implement and use electronic health records.
The funds are dedicated to establishing approximately 70 Health Information
Technology Regional Extension Centers across the country and to support states'
efforts for information sharing within the emerging nationwide system of
networks. The Extension Center
grants will be awarded on a rolling basis, with the first awards being issued
in fiscal year 2010. Grants to states will also be made in fiscal year 2010.
"With these programs, we begin the process of creating a national,
private and secure electronic health information system. The grants are
designed to help doctors and hospitals acquire electronic health records and
use them in meaningful ways to improve the health of patients and reduce waste
and inefficiency," Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for Health
Information Technology, said in a statement.
The Extension Centers are required by law to establish cooperative
agreements through a competitive agreement. The centers will support at least
100,000 primary care providers, through participating nonprofit organizations,
to achieve meaningful use of electronic health records and to establish a
nationwide health information exchange.
The program will also establish a national Health
Information Technology
Research Center,
which will collect effective practices from across the country and help the
Extension Centers collaborate with one another and relevant stakeholders.
"Expanding the use of electronic health records is fundamental to
reforming our health care system," said Secretary of Health and Human
Services Kathleen Sebelius. "Electronic health records can help
reduce medical errors, make health care more efficient and improve the quality
of medical care for all Americans. These grants will help ensure more doctors
and hospitals have the tools they need to use this critical technology."
The Regional Centers will focus their efforts on physicians, physician
assistants and nurse practitioners furnishing primary care services, with a
focus on individual and small group practices. While these clinicians deliver
the majority of primary care services, they have the lowest adoption rate of
electronic health records.
The centers will be evaluated every two years as to their effectiveness.
Health Care IT News & Reviews 
