RECs to get more EHR funds for critical access, rural hospitals
David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator for health IT in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), has announced $12 million in new technical support assistance to help critical access hospitals (CAHs) and rural hospitals adopt and become meaningful users of certified health IT.
The funds will be awarded through ONC’s regional extension center (REC) program to provide a range of support services to the 1,777 critical access and rural hospitals in 41 states and Indian Country, to help them qualify for substantial EHR incentive payments from Medicare and Medicaid.
This funding is in addition to the $20 million provided to RECs in September 2010 to provide technical assistance to the CAHs and rural hospitals.
The new funding is provided under the Health IT Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The HITECH Act provided $2 billion through ONC to support technical assistance, training and demonstration projects to assist in the nation’s transition to EHRs.
The additional CAHs and rural hospital funding will be administered through ONC’s Regional Extension Center (REC) program. The RECs are specifically designed to offer a wide range of hands-on technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices to support and accelerate healthcare providers’ efforts to become meaningful users of certified EHRs under the Medicare and Medicaid incentives programs. The additional funding will be awarded to 48 RECs serving CAH and rural hospitals in 41 states and Indian Country.
Click here to see a list of award recipients.
The funds will be awarded through ONC’s regional extension center (REC) program to provide a range of support services to the 1,777 critical access and rural hospitals in 41 states and Indian Country, to help them qualify for substantial EHR incentive payments from Medicare and Medicaid.
This funding is in addition to the $20 million provided to RECs in September 2010 to provide technical assistance to the CAHs and rural hospitals.
The new funding is provided under the Health IT Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The HITECH Act provided $2 billion through ONC to support technical assistance, training and demonstration projects to assist in the nation’s transition to EHRs.
The additional CAHs and rural hospital funding will be administered through ONC’s Regional Extension Center (REC) program. The RECs are specifically designed to offer a wide range of hands-on technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices to support and accelerate healthcare providers’ efforts to become meaningful users of certified EHRs under the Medicare and Medicaid incentives programs. The additional funding will be awarded to 48 RECs serving CAH and rural hospitals in 41 states and Indian Country.
Click here to see a list of award recipients.