Texas entities recipients of federal health IT funding
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The training funds that Texas State will share are also administered by HHS and spread among leading universities, community colleges and major research centers. Awards totaling $84 million went to 16 universities and junior colleges to help train what is expected to be 50,000 new health IT professionals.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston garnered $15 million of the $60 million in Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP) for patient-centered cognitive support, aimed at ensuring that health IT integrates with, enhances and supports clinicians' reasoning and decision-making. Three other advanced research institutions each were awarded $15 million to study any problems that stand in the way of the adoption and use of health IT. To see the complete list of award recipients, click here and look under "Recent Reports."
Five regional recipients in the Community College Consortia Program shared $36 million. Together the five include 70 community colleges that will create non-degree training programs that can be completed in six months or less.
The REC grants that were awarded to the four Texas entities and others nationwide will be used to provide hands-on, community-based support to providers in an effort to speed the adoption of health IT. The regional centers allow health care workers to use local resources for technical assistance, guidance and information on best practices. The funds will help maximize the use of health IT in communities to provide needed health care that may be unique to a community.
This marks the second round of funding awards, and brings the total number of RECs funded to 60. Another $375 million was awarded earlier this year. Those centers are expected to support some 100,000 primary care providers and hospitals within two years. Additionally, the RECs funded in both rounds are now eligible to apply for a supplemental two-year expansion award. The supplemental awards – totaling $25 million - are designed to ensure that health IT support services are available to more than 2,000 critical access hospitals and rural hospitals (each with 50 beds or fewer) throughout the country. These awards are part of the $2 billion made available in Recovery Act funds to increase the use of health IT so that an electronic health record is available for every person in the country by 2014. To see the complete list of award recipients, click here and look under "Recent Reports."
