The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”) amends Title XXX of the Public Health Service Act by adding Section 3012, Health Information Technology Implementation Assistance.  This section provides supportive services for the rest of the HITECH Act.  Section 3012 (a) establishes the Health Information Technology Extension Program (Extension Program). The Extension Program provides grants for the establishment of Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (RECs) to support health care providers’ efforts in becoming meaningful users of Electronic Health Records (EHRs).

The RECs are to provide the following types of support to health care providers:

  • Selecting a certified EHR product that offers best value for the providers’ needs;
  • Achieving effective implementation of a certified EHR product;
  • Enhancing clinical and administrative workflows to optimally leverage an EHR system’s potential to improve quality and value of care, including patient experience as well as outcome of care; and,
  • Observing and complying with applicable legal, regulatory, professional and ethical requirements to protect the integrity, privacy and security of patients’ health information.

HHS will award grants under the Extension Program on a rolling basis with an expected 20 grants awarded in the first quarter of FY2010, another 25 in the third quarter and the remaining awards in the fourth quarter of FY2010.  For more information, go to the Health IT REC webpage, where links to additional information is available, including the Health IT Fact Sheet.

In addition, HITECH is providing grants to Health Information Exchanges (HIEs). The HIE is a “portable health records initiative” that will electronically link doctors, hospitals, clinics, insurance firms and others. The plan is to make a patient’s critical health information available wherever, and whenever, it’s needed in order to improve the American healthcare delivery system. The HIEs will be a cooperative project between states and the federal government. Each state must develop a statewide HIE strategic plan.  To incentivize this effort, and pursuant to HITECH, HHS has awarded $548 million in HIE state grants.  For additional information about the HIE grant program, go to the HHS Health IT webpage, which includes links to an HIE Fact Sheet.

A complete listing of HITECH grants to RECs, Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and job training participants, is available here (RECs) and here (States and Territories). To date, 60 RECs, 56 state agencies and territories, and 55 job training participants have received awards totaling well over $1 billion.