AHIMA, Delta Authority team up to expand EHR adoption

The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) have launched a pilot program to expedite EHR adoption in the Delta region by initiating a revolving micro-loan program.

The DRA will provide loans in increments of $5,000 and $7,500 to eligible healthcare providers to use as a down payment for the purchase of an EHR system. AHIMA will provide the educational component to healthcare providers and assist with provider recruitment. This pilot program focuses on small physician practices and federally qualified health centers in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

With support from the HHS Office of Minority Health, DRA and AHIMA will recruit eligible healthcare professionals providing services to racial and ethnic minorities and underserved communities within the Delta region. HRSA and the Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health Partners will assist in recruiting healthcare providers, as well as developing and implementing an accompanying health IT workforce initiative to be announced later. 

The DRA loans, committing nearly $450,000 in non-interest bearing assistance for the purchase of EHRs, are certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.