Wednesday, 02 December 2009 19:23
- Section 3011 of the HITECH Act authorizes immediate funding to strengthen the health information infrastructure in the United States.
- Under that authority, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has announced the availability of $235 million in funding for the Beacon Community Program.
- The Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program will establish $220 million in cooperative agreements with communities to build and strengthen their health IT infrastructure and health information exchange capabilities to achieve measurable improvements in health care quality, safety, efficiency, and population health.
- An additional $15 million will provide for technical assistance to the communities and to evaluate the success of the program.
- The grant program will seek to advance a health information technology infrastructure that will support the nationwide electronic exchange and use of health information in a secure, private, and accurate manner.
- Communities funded through the Beacon Community Program will be expected to build on an existing infrastructure of interoperable health IT and standards-based information exchange to advance specific health improvement goals declared by each community.
- Beacon Communities will be required to coordinate with the Regional Extension Center Program and State Health Information Exchange Program, including the Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC), to develop and disseminate best practices for adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records and to facilitate national goals for widespread use of health IT.
- 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:
- 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.
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) programs at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and the Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) for the adoption of certified electronic health records and exchange of health information.
- Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce efforts to extend broadband infrastructure.
- Approximately 15 cooperative agreements will be awarded to qualified non-profit organizations or government entities representing a variety of health settings and populations, including rural and underserved communities and other vulnerable populations.
- The Beacon Community may represent a consortium of stakeholder organizations and health care providers. The lead applicant must be a U.S.-based, non-profit organization or a government entity falling into one of the following five categories:
- State, local, tribal, or territorial government entity with a public health focus
- Integrated delivery network or health system with broad community partnerships
- Independent physician association or consortium of medical groups
- Public/Private partnership aimed at health system improvement and/or community health improvement
- ONC-funded regional extension center with the capacity to expand its services
- Applications are due on February 1, 2010. Award decisions for the Beacon Communities are anticipated in March 2010 and programs will last for a 36-month period.
Additional information is available at http://HealthIT.HHS.Gov/HITECHgrants
Cited from HHS.gov : ( http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=1425&parentname=CommunityPage&parentid=2&mode=2&in_hi_userid=10741&cached=true )
Wednesday, 02 December 2009 15:20
HHS Secretary Sebelius Announces Plans to Establish Health IT “Beacon Communities”
$235 million set aside to fund nationwide Beacon Community Program
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. David Blumenthal, HHS’ National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, announced today plans to make available $235 million to support an innovative Beacon Community Program. The program will work to accelerate and demonstrate the ability of health information technology to transform local health care systems, and improve the lives of Americans and the performance of the health care providers who serve them. The Beacon Community Program will include $220 million in grants to build and strengthen health IT infrastructure and health information exchange capabilities, including strong privacy and security measures for data exchange, within 15 communities. An additional $15 million will be provided for technical assistance to the communities and to evaluate the success of the program.
“Health information technology will make our health care system more efficient and improve care for every American,” Secretary Sebelius said. “The Beacon Community Program is a critical step forward as we work to expand the use of health information technology in hospitals and doctor’s offices across the country.”
Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Beacon Community 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 program will establish cooperative agreements with communities to build and strengthen their health IT infrastructure and health information exchange capabilities to achieve measurable improvements in health care quality, safety, efficiency, and population health. 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.
“We recognize that better health care does not come solely from the adoption of technology itself but through the ongoing private and secure exchange and use of health information to provide the best possible information at the point of patient care,” said Dr. Blumenthal.
Cooperative agreements will be awarded to 15 qualified non-profit organizations or government entities representing diverse geographic areas, including rural and underserved communities. To qualify for the Beacon Community Program, applicants are expected to:
- Build off of existing health IT infrastructure and exchange to demonstrate care and cost savings;
- Have rates of EHR adoption that are significantly higher than published national estimates; and,
- Coordinate with recently announced Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) programs for Regional Extension Centers and State Health Information Exchange to develop and disseminate best practices for adoption and meaningful use of EHRs to support national goals for widespread use of health IT.
“The Beacon Community Program will help provide more hard evidence that health IT exchange can make a significant and positive difference in the delivery and value of care,” stated Dr. Blumenthal.
Information about cooperative agreement applications will be available shortly at http://HealthIT.HHS.gov/.
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Cited Dec 2nd 2009, From HHS Site URL: ( http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/12/20091202a.html )
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
