The Obama administration today announced a wave of聽funds to advance聽its聽health information technology goals. The money comes from聽the stimulus package approved earlier this year by Congress.
At a forum in Chicago, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Vice President Joe Biden announced聽the release of $1.2 billion聽to facilitate聽the adoption of electronic medical records by health professionals. Sebelius, along with Dr. David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health information technology, added more detail regarding the announcement聽in聽a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon.
鈥淭his is just the first wave of resources invested in health technology aimed at really transforming our paper-driven system to an electronic system over the next several years, providing help and support for hospitals and doctors as they make this conversion,鈥� Sebelius said.
Of聽these newly released funds,聽$598 million will be used to create regional extension centers to provide technical assistance to聽doctors and hospitals. These centers were聽mandated in the stimulus act, Sebelius said.聽In addition,聽$564 million in grants will go聽to states聽to聽help聽set up information exchanges 鈥渢o communicate across the lines of health care agencies.鈥澛燬tates will administer these exchanges.
Electronic medical records, added Blumenthal, are meant to get information across agencies and health care systems聽鈥渢o be where the patient needs it and where the physician needs that information at any point and time.鈥�
Blumenthal said聽the funding聽announced today is聽designed to聽help lay the groundwork for聽physicians and hospitals聽to pursue yet another pot of federal聽dollars: Doctors聽and others聽who adopt聽electronic medical records and聽meet yet-to-be-finalized 鈥渕eaningful use鈥� standards will be eligible to receive extra Medicare and Medicaid聽payments.聽He聽said the definition of 鈥渕eaningful use鈥� 鈥� another important step in this process 鈥� is expected to be final early next year.
Also yet to be settled 鈥� security considerations in the electronic medical records adoption process. Blumenthal described this area as聽鈥渁bsolutely essential鈥� foundational,鈥澛燼nd said聽an HHS policy committee has been asked to to study the issue.聽鈥淲e do understand that the information that is passed within the health care system has to be secure or else the public won鈥檛 have confidence in those electronic health records.鈥�
Related KHN story: Five Lessons From Seattle On Electronic Medical Records