The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology issued its final rule for the temporary certification program. The program establishes a way for organizations to be authorized by the National Coordinator to test an generic viagra soft d certify electronic health record (EHR) technology. Use of certified EHR technology is a core requirement [...]

The whistleblower provisions in ARRA pose significant risk to those persons or entities receiving money under the HITECH Act provisions of ARRA. Those at risk include entities receiving grants and loans from the federal government under the HITECH Act to assist them in the implementation of electronic health record (“EHR”) technology.

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine has received nearly $8 million in federal stimulus money from the Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP), the state designated entity for health information exchange development. That funding will position the school as a regional extension center (REC), allowing it to help 1,765 healthcare providers in Lorain, Cuyahoga, [...]

OHIP is a nonprofit that was established last year by the state. It has about $43 million in federal and state funding to help accomplish two key health information technology goals. First, the organization will help set up a health information exchange (HIE), which is essentially a state-wide computer network that will allow hospitals and doctors’ offices to easily share patients’ health information. Second, OHIP will help doctors acquire, implement and learn how to use the electronic health records (EHR) systems that will be the backbone of the exchange.

Leading the effort–for now–is Amy Andres, OHIP’s chairman and the Ohio Department of Insurance’s chief of staff. Andres was likely chosen for the role because of her background in government, health and information technology. She led the pharmacy benefits management business for Chicago-based electronic prescribing company AllScripts, and held positions with CVS ProCare and IT consulting firm Sarcom. She also worked as the CIO for the Ohio Department of Education.

The HITECH Act amends Section 3012 (a) of the Public Health Service Act and establishes the Health Information Technology Extension Program (Extension Program).
The Regional Extension Centers (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). This list represents the final 60 awarded centers.

L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest public health plan, announced today that the organization has received a $15.6 million federal grant to establish the Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC), called HITEC-LA, that will help doctors in L.A. County adopt and use Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in a meaningful way. HITEC-LA will be the sole REC in L.A. County, under the terms of the grant. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Dakota State University Center for the Advancement of Health Information Technology has been awarded nearly $5.7 million and has been selected as one of 28 Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers in the nation.

The regional centers were named by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a $2 billion effort outlined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. That effort hopes to achieve widespread, meaningful use of health information technology and provide the use of an electronic health record by every person by the year 2014.
DSU President Doug Knowlton said the Madison university is excited about this award and the work the center will be doing.

The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology has established Health Information Technology (HIT) Regional Extension Centers to support adoption of HIT. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, ONC awarded grants for the establishment and operation of Regional Extension Centers to provide HIT technical assistance to health care [...]