COMMUNITY HEALTH AND EMERGENCY SERVICES RECEIVES RECOVERY ACT GRANT - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

WASHINGTON, March 2 -- Rep. Jerry F. Costello, D-Ill. (12th CD), issued the following news release:

U.S. Congressmen Jerry Costello (D-IL) announced today that Community Health and Emergency Services, Inc., located in Cairo, will receive a $1.3 million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funds are part of $2 billion in the bill set aside for community health centers that provide quality care in inner city or rural areas.

The grant will be used to restore full hours to all employees and rehire several others. In addition, replacement vehicles will be purchased and other equipment upgraded. Renovations will be completed at three facilities - Cairo, Harrisburg and Tamms. Service growth at the Harrisburg facility is expected to create 15-20 new jobs.

'This is a great example of how the Recovery Act is getting money into our communities quickly to create jobs and improve quality of life,' said Costello, a member of the Steering Committee of the Rural Health Care Coalition. 'Reliable medical services are an essential part of economic development, and this funding will help meet the challenges of providing health care in a rural area.'For more information about US Fed News contract awards please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, US Fed News, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.

VOA NEWS: FACES HEALTH CRISIS AS AUTHORITIES BEGIN RECOVERY FROM HURRICANE IKE - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

The Voice of America issued the following story:

By Greg Flakus

The island city of Galveston and other areas along the Gulf of Mexico coast in Texas and Louisiana are struggling to begin their recovery from Hurricane Ike, which struck late last week. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, Texas, people who remain in some stricken areas without clean water or sewage systems could face major health risks.

Texas Governor Rick Perry has called them 'knuckleheads,' but the several thousand people who defied evacuation orders last week and rode out the storm in the state's most vulnerable coastal communities see themselves as hardy survivors.

Officials estimate there are still between 250 and 300 people on Galveston Island in spite of dire conditions that include lack of sanitation, lack of clean water and an infestation of mosquitoes that could carry infectious diseases.

Texas State Health Commissioner Dr. David Lakey says those who stay on the island face significant health risks.

'This community is challenged right now on the health and medical side,' said Dr. Lakey. 'We do not have an outbreak right now, but there have been a few cases. When you are unable to flush your toilet and you cannot wash your hands, when you do not have electricity to keep a refrigerator running and you cannot boil your water, that is a prime setup to have an infectious disease event.'

One elderly man was evacuated from the island with mosquito bites all over his body. Since the hurricane passed through, rescue crews have assisted some 2,000 people who were stranded in the area. Officials say they will now urge everyone remaining to leave and may use legal force to remove them, if it necessary.

Galveston officials say they will allow people who evacuated before the storm to return during daylight hours to check their property, but they must leave before sunset or face a $2,000 fine.

In other parts of the Houston metropolitan area, people are struggling with lack of electrical power and disruption of normal communications. Local power companies have brought in thousands of line crews from other states to help restore electricity, and they are making progress in some areas. Most large office buildings remain closed downtown and in other business zones. Retail stores also remain closed, except for a few operating with emergency generators and offering only limited merchandise for sale.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is supplying personnel, food, water, materiel and financial support to the recovery effort. Working with local and state officials, FEMA has established about 60 distribution centers around the Houston area where thousands of people are now lining up for drinking water, bags of ice and other items. In the first two days after the storm, officials gave out 600,000 bags of ice and more than one million bottles of water.

Officials say it may take months to clean up and restore basic services in some devastated areas around Houston. But they say normal business should start returning to at least some parts of this fourth largest city in the United States by next week.

Flakus report - Download (MP3): http://www.voanews.com/mediaassets/english/2008_09/Audio/Mp3/LCR%20Flakus%20Hurricane%20Recovery%202349610%20091608%20vb.Mp3

SEN. CARDIN VISITS CHOPTANK COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER THAT HAS RECEIVED $1M RECOVERY GRANT TO EXPAND DENTAL CARE - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

CAMBRIDGE, Md., Aug. 10 -- The office of Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., has issued the following news release:

U.

S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a leading supporter of efforts to expand federally qualified health centers (FQHC), today visited the CambridgeDentalCenter and the Fassett-MageeHealthCenter to congratulate the Choptank Community Health System (CCHS) on receiving $1 million in funding through the Federal Investment Program (FIP) grant program to expand dental services. CCHS was the only community health center in Maryland to receive FIP funding, which was made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

'Expanding our system of community health care centers is an investment in the health of our citizens and our economy,' said Senator Cardin. 'In 2007, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver's tragic death illustrated how important dental care is to overall health care. Preventative health care and dental care saves lives and costs less than treating advanced diseases or injuries.'

CCHS is a fully accredited community health center providing comprehensive medical, dental and behavioral health care services at eight locations in Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot counties. In 2008, more than 27,000 patients were seen through the combined programs of CCHS for a total of more than 93,000 visits. The Recovery funds will enable CCHS to renovate the Fassett-MageeHealthCenter to include a new seven chair dental center.

Investments in health centers pay for themselves. Overall medical expenses for health center patients are 41 percent lower than for patients who receive care elsewhere. Senator Cardin has co-sponsored the Access for All Americans Act, S. 486, which would expand funding for FHQCs nationwide. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

REP. KANJORSKI ANNOUNCES $311,090 FOR RURAL HEALTH CORPORATION OF NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA FROM RECOVERY PACKAGE - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

WASHINGTON, June 1 -- Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa. (11th CD), issued the following news release:

Today, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) announced $311,090 from the recovery package for the Rural Health Corporation of Northeastern Pennsylvania (RHC) which will allow the organization to reach out to more uninsured individuals. The announcement was made at Freeland Health Center, one of the RHC's medical sites. The RHC hopes to help over 1,000 more Northeastern Pennsylvanians with needed medical services as a result of the funding. The federal funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a result of the recovery package that Congress passed on February 13 with Congressman Kanjorski's support. The HHS distributed funding to community health centers nationwide enabling them to expand their services.

'This funding from the recovery package will help the RHC expand its services to more individuals and families in the area in need of affordable, quality heath services,' said Congressman Kanjorski. 'I applaud RHC for the valuable work they do for Northeastern Pennsylvania's residents. Too many people live without health insurance, and then when they need medical and dental services, the costs are too high. RHC makes it possible for many of these individuals and families to get the quality care they need at an affordable price. And with this new funding, RHC will be able to help many more people access these services.'

'I would like to thank Congressman Kanjorski for supporting the recovery package,' said Ed Michael, President of the RHC. 'With this additional funding, we will now be able to extend our medical and dental services to even more people, enabling them to access care that they might not otherwise be able to afford. Our centers throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania provide valuable services to residents, and I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to spread those services to more people. We greatly appreciate Congressman Kanjorski's support.'

The RHC provides primary and preventive medical and dental services to residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania - regardless of income levels. The organization has seven medical centers and three dental centers throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania, including a pediatric site and a homeless planning site. The RHC offers health care at an affordable cost and at a discount for eligible individuals. Anyone in need of medical or dental services is able to access services at RHC's centers.

The RHC is a member of the National Association of Community Health Centers, which are non-profit, community-directed health care providers that offer high quality, affordable primary and preventative care.

FEDERAL RECOVERY FUNDS FOR HEALTH CARE JOB TRAINING ANNOUNCED FOR LOS ANGELES. - States News Service

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by the office of California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard:

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) made the following statement today (2/12/10) in response to the below announcement (scroll down for full release) by the Administration of additional Recovery grant funding:

'The Obama Administration's announcement of the latest round of Recovery Act awards is great news for Angelenos and all Californians who stand to benefit from enhanced job training opportunities in the health care field and more efficient and accessible electronic medical record technology,' Congresswoman Roybal-Allard said. 'I'm especially excited about the $3.6 million federal grant for a program in Los Angeles County to provide participants with job training to become Medical Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians and Certified Nursing Assistants. Upon completing the coursework, more than 300 people are expected to enter jobs that fill critical health care needs in the community.'

In Los Angeles, the Youth Policy Institute received $3,623,473. Additional information about the award and the Institute, including local contact information, is as follows:

Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA

Industry and Sector: Health Care (Nursing)

Autoa Impacted Counties: Los Angeles County, CA

Highlighted Participants Served: Unemployed, dislocated, and incumbent workers

Amount: $3,623,473

Key Partner Highlights: Youth Policy Institute (YPI), the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board, Los Angeles Valley College, and UCLA

Project Description: The YPI Health Sector Program, founded on a robust community partnership, will train and place participants as Medical Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians, and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). Their comprehensive approach will combine individualized learning plans with 100 hours of basic knowledge classes, adult education, supportive services, and LAUSD vocational tracks in order to ensure that participants progress along a defined career path. At the completion of their training, participants will be eligible to sit for and become certified in their specialty. Additionally, all program completers will have access to career counselors who will

facilitate job placement and retention.

Proposed Outcomes: Over the course of the three year project, 376 individuals will complete vocational training for Medical Assistant, CAN, and Pharmacy Assistant tracks. 320 of those individuals will enter employment positions. Additionally, YPI will develop curriculum and outreach material; to be added to existing LAUSD courses.

Contact: Stan Saunders, 634 South Spring Street, 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014

ssaunders@ypiusa.org

###

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 12, 2010

Sebelius, Solis Announce Nearly $1 Billion Recovery Act Investment in Advancing Use of Health IT, Training Workers for Health Jobs of the Future

Grant Awards to Help Make Health IT Available to Over 100,000 Health Providers by 2014, Support Tens of Thousands of Jobs Nationwide

WASHINGTON, DC - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis today announced a total of nearly $1 billion in Recovery Act awards to help health care providers advance the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (IT) and train workers for the health care jobs of the future. The awards will help make health IT available to over 100,000 hospitals and primary care physicians by 2014 and train thousands of people for careers in health care and information technology. This Recovery Act investment will help grow the emerging health IT industry which is expected to support tens of thousands of jobs ranging from nurses and pharmacy techs to IT technicians and trainers.

The over $750 million in HHS grant awards Secretary Sebelius announced today are part of a federal initiative to build capacity to enable widespread meaningful use of health IT. This assistance at the state and regional level will facilitate health care providers' efforts to adopt and use electronic health records (EHRs) in a meaningful manner that has the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of health care for all Americans. Of the over $750 million investment, $386 million will go to 40 states and qualified State Designated Entities (SDEs) to facilitate health information exchange (HIE) at the state level, while $375 million will go to an initial 32 non-profit organizations to support the development of regional extension centers (RECs) that will aid health professionals as they work to implement and use health information technology - with additional HIE and REC awards to be announced in the near future. RECs are expected to provide outreach and support services to at least 100,000 primary care providers and hospitals within two years.

'Health information technology can make our health care system more efficient and improve the quality of care we all receive,' said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. 'These grant awards, the first of their kind, will help develop our electronic infrastructure and give doctors and other health care providers the support they need as they adopt this powerful technology.'

The more than $225 million in DOL grant awards Secretary Solis announced will be used to train 15,000 people in job skills needed to access careers in health care, IT and other high growth fields. Through existing partnerships with local employers, the recipients of these grants have already identified roughly 10,000 job openings for skilled workers that likely will become available in the next two years in areas like nursing, pharmacy technology and information technology. The grants will fund 55 separate training programs in 30 states to help train people for secure, well-paid health jobs and meet the growing employment demand for health workers. Employment services will be available via the Department of Labor's local One Stop Career Centers, and training will be offered at community colleges and other local education providers.

'The Recovery Act's investments are making a positive difference in the lives of America's working families,' said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. 'The investments announced today will ensure thousands of workers across the nation can receive high-quality training and employment services, which will lead to good jobs in healthcare and other industries offering career-track employment and good pay and benefits.'

The HHS and DOL awards are part of an overall $100 billion investment in science, innovation and technology the Administration is making through the Recovery Act to spur domestic job creation in growing industries and lay a long-term foundation for economic growth. In addition to the 10,000 jobs the DOL grantees expect to fill with freshly trained workers, the health IT extension centers are expected to hire over 3,000 technology workers nationwide in the months ahead. Overall, the Administration investments in health IT and training will help significantly expand an emerging industry expected to support tens of thousands of secure, well-paid jobs nationwide.

A complete listing of the state HIE, REC and job training grant recipients in CA is as follows:

California Health and Human Services Agency $38,752,536

Regional Extension Center Awards: RECs Awardee Award Amount

Southern California Regional Extension Center $13,961,339

Job Training Awards:

Healthcare/High Growth Grant Recipient Award Amount

Kern Community College District (KCCD) $2,768,572

Los Rios Community College District $4,988,561

Mt. San Antonio Community College District $2,239,714

San Diego State University Research Foundation $4,953,575

San Jose State University Research Foundation $5,000,000

San Bernardino Community College District $4,260,863

Youth Policy Institute $3,623,473

Spanish Speaking Unity Council $3,559,139

Additional information about the state HIE and RECs may be found at http://HealthIT.HHS.gov/statehie and http://healthit.hhs.gov/extensionprogram.

Information about other health IT programs funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 can be found here: http://HealthIT.HHS.gov

Information about Healthcare/High Growth Grants, and other DOL training programs is available at http://www.doleta.gov/.

For more information about the Recovery Act, please visit: www.hhs.gov/recovery, www.dol.gov/recovery, and www.recovery.gov.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN, HHS SECRETARY SEBELIUS ANNOUNCE SELECTION OF 15 HEALTH IT PILOT COMMUNITIES THROUGH RECOVERY ACT BEACON COMMUNITY PROGRAM. - States News Service

WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by the White House:

Vice President Biden and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the selection of 15 communities across the country to serve as pilot communities for eventual wide-scale use of health information technology through the Beacon Community program. The $220 million in Recovery Act awards will not only help achieve meaningful and measurable improvements in health care quality, safety and efficiency in the selected communities, but also help lay the groundwork for an emerging health IT industry that is expected to support tens of thousands of jobs.

'These pioneering communities are going to lead the way in bringing smarter, lower-cost health care to all Americans through use of electronic health records. Because of their early efforts, doctors across the country will one day be able to coordinate patient care with the stroke of a key or pull up life-saving health information instantly in an emergency -- and for the residents of these communities, that future is about to become a reality,' said Vice President Biden. 'Thanks to the Recovery Act's historic investment in health IT, we're not only advancing the way health care is delivered in this country, we're also building a whole new industry along with it -- one that will shape our 21st Century economy for generations to come and employ tens of thousands of American workers.'

'The most important health care innovations are those that are designed and tested by providers and community leaders all across the country. Beacon Communities will offer insight into how health IT can make a real difference in the delivery of health care,' said Secretary Sebelius. 'The Beacon Community Program will tap the best ideas across America and demonstrate the enormous benefit health IT will have to improving health and care within our communities.'

The selected Beacon Communities will use health IT resources within their community as a foundation for bringing doctors, hospitals, community health programs, federal programs and patients together to design new ways of improving quality and efficiency to benefit patients and taxpayers. Each Beacon Community has elected specific and measurable improvement goals in each of three vital areas for health systems improvement: quality, cost-efficiency, and population health. The goals vary according to the needs and priorities of each community.

For example, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a community dealing with an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes that has the highest rate of cardiovascular disease deaths in the nation, the award will help 1,600 physicians and other providers participate in a new community-wide health information system that will help them better monitor and improve care transitions as patients move from one care setting to another. The award is expected to help increase appropriate referrals for cancer screenings, increase access to care for patients with diabetes with telemedicine, and reduce preventable hospitalizations and emergency department visits by 10 percent for conditions that could be better handled in clinical settings, yielding a potential cost savings of $11M per year in the Tulsa area for taxpayers and patients.

Other communities will use their Beacon Community awards to provide better control of blood pressure for diabetic and hypertensive patients, improvements in care coordination and chronic disease management, reductions in preventable emergency department visits and re-hospitalizations, reductions in health disparities, better rates of immunization for children and adults, and better adherence to smoking cessation and appropriate cancer screening guidelines. The Beacon projects are expected to initially create dozens of new jobs in each community paying an average of $70,000 per year for a total of 1,100 jobs up-front, while accelerating development of a nationwide health IT infrastructure that will eventually employ tens of thousands of Americans.

Additionally, Beacon Communities will be expected to access existing federal programs that are working to promote health information exchange at the community level. Close coordination with the Regional Extension Center Program, State Health Information Exchange Program, and the National Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC), will ensure lessons learned are shared for the benefit of all. Over time, they will also work to leverage other existing federal programs and resources that are working to promote health information exchange at the community level, including the Department of Defense's and the Department of Veterans Affairs' development of a Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) for all active duty, Guard and Reserve, retired military personnel, and eligible separated Veterans.

'Communities will be expected to build on an existing infrastructure of interoperable health IT and standards-based information exchange to show the promise for health IT. The Beacon Communities will offer evidence that widespread adoption of health IT and exchange of health information is both feasible and improves care delivery and health outcomes. The lessons learned through the program will be a roadmap for other communities to achieve meaningful use on a community-wide basis,' stated David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, national coordinator for health IT.'

The Beacon Community awards are part of an overall $100 billion federal government investment in science, innovation and technology the Administration is making through the Recovery Act to spur domestic job creation in emerging industries and create a long-term foundation for economic growth. The program was significantly oversubscribed with over 130 applications submitted for the initial 15 awards. Today's awards are part of the $2 billion effort to achieve widespread meaningful use of health IT and provide for the use of an electronic health record (EHR) for each person in the United States by 2014. An additional $30 million is currently available to fund additional Beacon Community cooperative agreement awards. An announcement to apply will be made in the near future.

The 15 Beacon communities, their awards, and key strategies for success follow:

Beacon Community AwardeeFunding AmountBeacon Community Goals for Population Health in Service Area

Community Services Council of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla.$12,043,948Leverage broad community partnerships with hospitals, providers, payers, and government agencies to expand a community-wide care coordination system, which will increase appropriate referrals for cancer screenings, decrease unnecessary specialist visits and (with telemedicine) increase access to care for patients with diabetes

Delta Health Alliance, Inc., Stoneville, Miss.$14,666,156Focus on achieving improvements for diabetic patients by electronically linking isolated systems and practices for care management, medication therapy management and patient education

Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Brewer Maine$12,749,740Expand community connectivity, including long-term care, primary care and specialist providers, to existing Health Information Exchange and promote the use of telemedicine and patient self-management in order to improve care for elderly patients and individuals needing long-term or home care

Geisinger Clinic, Danville, PA$16,069,110Enhance care for patients with pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure by creating a community-wide medical home, promoting Health Information Exchange and extending Geisinger's proven model for practice redesign to independent healthcare organizations throughout region

HealthInsight, Salt Lake City, Utah$15,790,181Improve Diabetes management performance measures by increasing availability, accuracy and transparency of quality reporting, leverage Intermountain Healthcare's strategies to reduce health systems costs throughout the region, and improve public health reporting

Indiana Health Information Exchange, INC., Indianapolis, Ind.$16,008,431Expand the country's largest Health Information Exchange to new community providers in order to improve cholesterol and blood sugar control for diabetic patients and reduce preventable re-admissions through telemonitoring of high risk chronic disease patients after hospital discharge

Inland Northwest Health Services, Spokane, Wash.$15,702,479Focus on increasing preventive services for diabetic patients in rural areas by extending Health Information Exchange and establishing anchor institutions in close proximity to remote clinics that will promulgate successes in health IT supported care coordination

Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, La.$13,525,434Reduce racial health disparities and improve control of diabetes and smoking cessation rates by linking technically isolated health systems, providers, and hospitals; and empower patients by increasing their access to Personal Health Records

Mayo Clinic Rochester, d/b/a Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn.$12,284,770Enhance patient management and, reduce costs associated with hospitalization and emergency services for patients with diabetes and childhood asthma and address reduce health disparities for underserved populations and rural communities

Rhode Island Quality Institute, Providence, R.I.$15,914,787Improve the management of patients with diabetes through several health IT initiatives to support Rhode Island's transition to the Patient Centered Medical Home model and adapt infrastructure proven to improve childhood immunizations in order to achieve improvements in adult immunization rates

Rocky Mountain Health Maintenance Organization, Grand Junction, Colo.$11,878,279Enable robust collection of clinical data from health systems, providers, and hospitals in order to inform practice redesign to improve blood pressure control in patients with diabetes and hypertension, increase smoking cessation counseling, and reduce unnecessary emergency department utilization and hospital re-admissions

Southern Piedmont Community Care Plan, Inc., Concord, N.C.$15,907,622Improve care coordination for patients with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and asthma by engaging patients and providers in bidirectional data sharing through a Health Record Bank, empowering patients and family members to participate in self-management through patient portals, and expanding access to care managers to facilitate post-discharge planning

The Regents of the University of California, San Diego, San Diego, Calif.$15,275,115Expand pre-hospital emergency field care and electronic information transmission to improve outcomes for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, empower patients to engage in their own health management through web portal and cellular telephone technology, and improve continuity of care for veterans and military personnel through the Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record initiative

University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii$16,091,390Implement a region-wide Health Information Exchange and Patient Health Record solution and utilize secure, internet-based care coordination and tele-monitoring tools to increase access to specialty care for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity in this rural, health-professional shortage area

Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.$16,092,485Utilize clinical decision support tools such as registries and point-of-care alerts and reminders and innovative telemedicine solutions to improve primary and specialty care for diabetic patients, decrease preventable emergency room visits, hospitalizations and re-admissions for patients with diabetes and congestive heart failure or pneumonia, and improve immunization rates among diabetic patients

More information about Beacon Communities can be found at: http://Healthit.hhs.gov/Programs/Beacon.

Electronic health records are progress: ; The recovery act provides incentives to help providers - Charleston Daily Mail

IN the coming months, some of the first West Virginia health careproviders will start to receive federal financial payments to helpcover the costs of implementing electronic health record systems.

These incentive payments, which can be substantial for eligiblehospitals, rural clinics and physician practices, were included aspart of the 2008 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The act authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servicesto provide this electronic heal record reimbursement incentive foreligible Medicare and Medicaid providers - physicians and hospitals.

The first eligible providers in West Virginia to get thesepayments will do so because they have been using a certified systemand have met the program's new 'meaningful use' requirements.

This will be a significant milestone in the federal government'songoing efforts to encourage health care providers across thisnation to move toward a digital medical environment.

To further assist with implementation of electronic health recordsystems, and to aid providers in qualifying for these federalincentive payments, the act also provided funding to establishhealth information technology resource centers across the UnitedStates. Here in West Virginia, this is the West Virginia RegionalHealth Information Technology Extension Center.

The West Virginia center has been working for the past year as astatewide, independent resource center for primary care providers,rural health centers and critical access hospitals.

The center is helping these providers with certified healthinformation technology and achieving health improvement outcomesthrough 'meaningful use.'

The center involves a collaboration of several stateorganizations focused on improving health care quality and access.Key partners are the West Virginia Health Improvement Institute, theWest Virginia Medical Institute, the Community Health Network ofWest Virginia and the Upper Ohio Valley IPA.

The center's efforts to reach medical providers also haveinvolved close collaboration with numerous state agencies, healthcare groups, medical professional societies and other entities - allworking to improve health care through innovation.

The consistent, nationwide adoption and use of secure electronichealth records will ultimately enhance the quality and value ofhealth care. The center's outreach, education and technicalassistance services will accelerate these outcomes.

Greater use of electronic health record systems and other healthinformation technologies also will make it possible for health careproviders to better manage patient care through the secure use andsharing of health information. Health IT includes the use ofelectronic health records instead of paper medical records tomaintain people's health information.

Electronic records will provide a number of benefits to patientsand their families:

* Reduced need to fill out the same forms at each office visit.

* Reliable point-of-care information and reminders notifyingproviders of important health interventions.

* Benefits of managing digital medical record data vs. paper.

* Convenience of e-prescriptions

* Patient portals for online interaction with providers.

* Electronic referrals for easier access to follow-up care withspecialists.

* Facilitation of electronic health exchange no matter where youare

* With the help of health information technologies, doctors willhave:

* Accurate and complete information about a patient's health.That way they can give the best possible care, whether during aroutine visit or a medical emergency.

* The ability to better coordinate the care they give. This isespecially important if a patient has a serious medical condition.

* A way to securely share information with patients and theirfamily caregivers over the Internet, for patients who opt for thisconvenience. This means patients and their families can more fullytake part in decisions about their health care.

* Information to help doctors diagnose health problems sooner,reduce medical errors, and provide safer care at lower costs.

Regional extension centers also will help providers achieve,through appropriate available infrastructures, exchange of healthinformation in compliance with applicable statutory and regulatoryrequirements and patient preferences.

The center will be working with the West Virginia HealthInformation Network.

Finally, this initiative will leverage the ongoing work tointegrate the medical home model activities already underway in WestVirginia. These aim to transform our state's health care deliverysystem and substantially improve the health of our rural population,which has a high prevalence of chronic disease, lack of access tocare, and high health care costs.

For more information about federal electronic health recordstimulus payments or the West Virginia Regional Health InformationTechnology Extension Center, please visit www.wvrhitec.org orrequest information by calling 1-877-775-7535.