The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has awarded more than $38 million to three health IT grant programs to 20 awardees to improve coordinated health information sharing. The grants build on programs funded from the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act (HITECH).
The first of the two year cooperative agreement awards will provide funds to advance interoperable health information technology services to support HIE. Twelve states or state designated entities to expand the adoption of health information will receive $29.6 million.
The funds will help state entities exchange technology, tools, and services, facilitate, send, receive, find, and use capabilities of health information across organizational, vendor, and geographic boundaries, plus increase the integration of health information in interoperable health IT.
The second two year cooperative agreement grant award for $2.2 million was made to AcademyHealth to work with 15 communities around population health strategies. Communities under this program will be required to identify data solutions, accelerate local progress, disseminate best practices and learning guides, and help inform national strategy around population health challenges.
The third two year cooperative agreement program awarded seven grantees totaling $6.7 million to update training materials from the original Workforce Curriculum Development Program funded under HITECH.
The goal is to not only update training materials but also train incumbent healthcare workers to use new health IT in a variety of settings. This workforce program will focus on four key top areas within population health, care coordination, new care delivery and payments models, and value-based and patient centered care.
The news release can be found at www.hhs.gov with more information. For all of ONC’s programs and initiatives go to www.HealthIT.gov.