The HITECH Act authorizes a Health Information Technology Extension Program. The extension program consists of Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (RECs) and a national Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC). The RECs will offer technical assistance, guidance, and information to support and accelerate health care providers’ efforts to become meaningful users of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The HITRC will be responsible for gathering relevant information on effective practices and help the RECs collaborate with one another and with relevant stakeholders to identify and share best practices in EHR adoption, effective use, and provider support.

The RECs are designed to ensure that primary care clinicians who need help are provided with an array of on-the-ground support to meaningfully use electronic health records (EHRs). Providing training and support services, the RECs will assist doctors and other providers in the adoption and meaningful use of EHR systems. The REC program has coverage in virtually every geographic region of the United States, which ensures sufficient community-based support. The goal of the program is to provide outreach and support services to at least 100,000 priority primary care providers within two years.

The REC cooperative agreements were awarded in two rounds with 32 awards announced in February 2010 and 28 in April 2010. The final number of RECs in the program is 60.

Grantees in the second series of awards (announced April 6, 2010)

REC Awardees	Federal Share
Alaska eHealth Network, Anchorage, AK	$3,632,357
University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL	$7,519,969
Arizona Health-e Connection, Phoenix, AZ	$10,791,644
Local Initiative Health Authority for Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA	$15,625,910
eHealthConnecticut, Inc., Rocky Hill, CT	$5,749,309
National Indian Health Board, Washington, DC	$15,625,910
Quality Insights of Delaware, Inc., Wilmington, DE	$5,859,716
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL	$7,669,328
Community Health Centers Alliance, Inc, St. Petersburg, FL	$10,982,866
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL	$5,884,132
Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Honolulu, HI	$5,859,716
University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, KY	$6,005,467
Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum, Baton Rouge, LA	$6,207,802
HealthInfoNet, Manchester, ME	$4,777,483
Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients, Baltimore, MD	$5,535,423
eQHealth Solutions, Inc , Baton Rouge, LA	$4,289,613
The Curators of the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO	$6,836,335
Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Foundation, Helena, MT	$5,020,754
New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ	$23,048,351
Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, Inc. (Eastern), King of Prussia, PA	$28,810,271
Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, Inc. (Western), King of Prussia, PA	$15,625,910
Ponce School of Medicine, PR	$19,280,796
South Carolina Research Foundation, Columbia, SC	$5,581,407
Dakota State University, Madison, SD	The 60-second Sales Hook 25px;”> $5,687,168
The TAMUS Health Science Center Research Foundation. College Station, TX	$5,279,970
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX	$15,274,327
Dallas- Fort Worth Hospital Council Education and Research Foundation, Irving, TX	$8,488,513
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Lubbock, TX	$6,666,296
Total	$267,616,743

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