ORHP Announces Recipients of FY 2011 Rural Health Information Technology (HIT) Network Development Awards
September 2, 2011 (RAConline.org | News & Events) - The Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) is pleased to announce the release of 40 new Rural Health Information Technology Network Development (RHITND) Awards. This 3-year pilot program was developed in FY 2011 as a result of the President’s Rural Health Care Initiative and Secretary’s Rural Health Information Taskforce.
The purpose of the RHITND Program is to improve health care and support the adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT) in rural America by providing targeted HIT support to rural health networks. Funding can be used for the purchase of equipment, staff training, hiring of a HIT consultant, etc.
» VIEW A LIST OF GRANTEES
HHS announces $11.9 million to implement health information technology in rural areas
September 2, 2011 (HHS News Release) - Rural health networks across the nation will receive more than $11.9 million to support their adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT) and certified Electronic Health Records (EHR). The funding announced today by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will also help these rural health networks’ participating eligible providers qualify for Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive payments, administered by the Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services.
“We need health information technology to bring our health care system into the 21st century,” said Secretary Sebelius. “These funds will help safety net providers acquire state-of-the-art health information technology systems to ensure the delivery of quality care to some of the most remote areas of our country.”
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New Community Health Worker Toolkit Available on RAC
September 2, 2011 (RAC News Release) - Rural communities now have more information to help them develop community health programs. With the addition of the Community Health Workers (CHW) informational toolkit to the Rural Assistance Center (RAC) website, communities can quickly review examples of community health worker programs and learn how to develop an effective CHW program.
Community health workers are people in a community who help expand access to health services. This toolkit provides examples of how rural communities have developed CHW programs as well as methods used to provide CHW services in a variety of rural locations.
Content for the CHW toolkit was developed by the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis as part of the Community Health Gateway. The Gateway is designed to help rural communities learn about proven methods of providing rural residents with better access to health and human services. Development of these resources is part of an ongoing effort by NORC and RAC to provide innovative health and human services information to rural America.
Funding for this project is provided by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP), part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). To learn more about the Community Health Gateway and Community Health Worker informational toolkit, visit www.raconline.org/communityhealth/.
For more information
Kristine Sande, RAC Program Director
701.777.6466
CMS releases e-prescribing incentive program final rule
August 31, 2011 (CMIO) - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced changes to the Medicare e-prescribing (eRx) incentive program for 2011.
Since publication of the 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule, CMS has received public comments raising concern that the Medicare eRx incentive program did not align with the Medicare or Medicaid EHR incentive program, as well as the need for additional significant hardship exemption categories.
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Related: E-prescribing exemption deadline extended to Nov. 1 (amednews.com)
HHS awards $40 million to boost public health infrastructure, prepare tomorrow’s public health workforce
August 31, 2011 (HHS News Release) - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today over $40 million in grant funding, partly supported by the Affordable Care Act, to state, tribal, local and territorial health departments and several schools of public health to enhance the nation’s public health infrastructure and strengthen the public health workforce. Awarded in nearly every state, this funding will improve the delivery of necessary public health services in communities, cities and states across the country.
“These funds will help health departments around the country maximize the impact of the essential services they provide every day, and build the public health workforce to ensure we’re ready to meet the public health challenges of tomorrow,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Strengthening our nation’s public health system is critical to protecting the health of all Americans.”
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