Advancing Health Information Exchange February 12, 2010
Posted by gonzalezloumiet in Blumenthal, Health Care IT, Nationwide Health Information Network.Tags: Beacon Community Program, Blumenthal, NHIN
add a comment
February 12, 2010
A Message from Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Today we announce the first cooperative agreement awards authorized by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. It marks a major milestone in our journey towards nationwide adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (health IT). One set of awards provides $386 million to 40 States and qualified State-Designated Entities to rapidly build capacity for exchanging health information across the health care system both within and between states through the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program. The other awards provide $375 million to create 32 Regional Extension Centers (RECs) that will support the efforts of health professionals, starting with priority primary care providers, to become meaningful users of electronic health records (EHRs). Additional awards will be made in both programs over the coming weeks. Together, these programs will help modernize the use of health information, improving the quality and efficiency of care for all Americans.
As part of the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program, states will play a leadership role in achieving HIE to meet health reform goals. The funds awarded will be used to establish and implement plans for statewide HIE by creating the appropriate governance, policies, and technical services required to support HIE. Developing this state-level capability will help us break down the current barriers to HIE and help providers to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentives under the HITECH Act. The awards will also strongly encourage states to consider participating in the Nationwide Health Information Network as an approach to HIE. This would create a pathway toward seamless, nationwide health information exchange.
While the State HIE awards will strengthen capacity for health information exchange, the Health Information Technology Extension Program awards will establish RECs to deliver direct outreach, education, and technical assistance services to health care providers in their regions. Each REC will focus most intensively on the physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners who work as part of individual and small group primary care practices, as well as those who dedicate themselves to providing health care to the underserved. Primary care providers in small practices provide the great majority of such services in the U.S. but have limited resources to implement, meaningfully use, and maintain EHR systems. On-site technical assistance for these priority primary care providers will be a key service offered by the RECs. RECs will assist providers who have not adopted EHRs, as well as those who have but need help progressing to meaningful use. Regional extension centers will also help providers keep health information private and secure.
The Health Information Technology Extension Program and the State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program are critical components to the end of a nation-wide interoperable, private and secure electronic health information system. I look forward to working in collaboration with each state and REC as they establish their programs, begin work within their communities, and promote the transformation of our health care system. I applaud each awarded entity for its dedication to the mission of improving the quality of health care and for the leadership and guidance it will provide.
Sincerely,
David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P.
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourages you to share this information as we work together to enhance the quality, safety and value of care and the health of all Americans through the use of electronic health records and health information technology.
For more information and to receive regular updates from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, please subscribe to our Health IT News list.
Beacon Communities: Shining a Light on the Real Impacts of Health IT December 2, 2009
Posted by gonzalezloumiet in Blumenthal, HHS.Tags: Beacon Community Program, Blumenthal, HHS
add a comment
Beacon Communities: Shining a Light on the Real Impacts of Health IT
December 2, 2009
A Message from Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Today the administration announced the availability of $235 million in funds to support the Beacon Community Program. The Beacon Community Program (BCP) will help to accelerate and demonstrate the ability of health IT to transform local health care systems, and to improve the lives of Americans and the performance of the health care providers who serve them. The Program will take communities at the cutting edge of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange and push them to a new level of health care quality and efficiency. The resulting experience will inform efforts throughout the United States to support the meaningful use of EHRs, the primary goal of the Federal Government’s new health IT initiative.
$220M of the funds will support 15 communities, which are expected to have rates of EHR adoption that are significantly higher than published national estimates. These communities are best positioned to lead the way in accomplishing meaningful use of EHRs and to provide valuable lessons to other localities on the preferred approaches to elevating the performance of local health systems using health IT. An additional $15 million will subsequently support technical assistance to the communities and an independent evaluation of the program.
As part of the $220 million in cooperative agreements that will support the 15 chosen communities, recipients will be asked to define, track, and report on progress toward concrete, measurable health and efficiency goals that are related to EHR adoption and meaningful use. These might include reductions in blood pressure among hypertensives, reduced blood sugar levels among diabetics, lower smoking levels, or reductions in health care disparities among populations. The resulting data will provide information for mid-course corrections and will also help independent evaluations judge the success of the program.
In order to make maximum use of existing federal resources, Beacon Communities also will be expected wherever possible to tap into other existing federal programs that are working to promote health information exchange at the community level. Close coordination with the Regional Extension Center Program, State Health Information Exchange Program, and the national Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC), will ensure that lessons learned are shared for the benefit of all. Beacon Communities are expected to maximize their efforts by leveraging other existing federal programs and resources that are working to promote health information exchange at the community level, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs development of a Virtual Lifetime Electronic Health Record (VLER) for all active duty, Guard and Reserve, retired military personnel, and eligible separated Veterans.
I’ve spoken often of my own experience with electronic health records in medical practice, and my resulting conviction that access to electronic health information at the point of care made me a better doctor, and helped my patients. I’ve highlighted examples of health systems, large and small, urban and rural, that have experienced major improvements in care and reduced costs resulting from the use of EHR systems and health IT. And I’ve shared the opinions of experts who conclude that the entry of the medical profession into the digital age is much needed, and long overdue. The Beacon Community Program will enable us to test the capacity of health IT to accomplish this shared vision at an accelerated pace. We hope these communities will truly prove beacons that the rest of our health system can use to guide our collective efforts to use information to improve the health and health care of Americans.
Sincerely,
David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P.
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourages you to share this information as we work together to enhance the quality, safety and value of care and the health of all Americans through the use of electronic health records and health information technology.
For more information and to receive regular updates from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, please subscribe to our Health IT News list.
