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Office of the National Coordinator (ONCHIT) will Award Training/Extension Center Contracts this Fall
Colleagues,
As reported in Health Data Management ... The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT plans to start awarding contracts to establish a set of regional health information technology extension centers between October and December of this year, according to a draft plan for rolling out the centers ONC posted on the Federal Register Web site.
ONC proposed to make two-year awards in fiscal 2010 and furnish heath care providers in the extension centers’ geographic area “with robust support,” according to the plan. Although funding would vary, ONC anticipates an average award value of $1 million to $2 million per center. The maximum for any one regional center would be $10 million.
The regional health IT extension centers were called for in the health IT section of the economic stimulus legislation. They will be designed to provide technical assistance and share best practices with physicians and hospitals who need help installing electronic health record systems, according to Charles Friedman, deputy national coordinator for health IT, who signed the notice.
The centers will furnish individualized and, as needed, on-site assistance to providers. The on-site assistance will be a “key service” and “will represent a significant portion of the regional centers’ activities,” Friedman said.
The minimum level of support must include “unbiased” information on mechanisms to exchange health information and to support the integration of health information exchange into the workflow.
The Health IT Research Center, which HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will establish, will coordinate the regional extension centers.
The extension program will also establish provisions to make sure assure that the uninsured, underinsured and historically underserved populations have access to health IT to help reduce health disparities, according to Friedman.
The draft plan was posted in a pre-publication section of the Federal Register Web site. ONC will publish the formal notice May 28, according to the draft, which can be viewed at http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-12419_PI.pdf.
ENJOY!
CC
As reported in Health Data Management ... The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT plans to start awarding contracts to establish a set of regional health information technology extension centers between October and December of this year, according to a draft plan for rolling out the centers ONC posted on the Federal Register Web site.
ONC proposed to make two-year awards in fiscal 2010 and furnish heath care providers in the extension centers’ geographic area “with robust support,” according to the plan. Although funding would vary, ONC anticipates an average award value of $1 million to $2 million per center. The maximum for any one regional center would be $10 million.
The regional health IT extension centers were called for in the health IT section of the economic stimulus legislation. They will be designed to provide technical assistance and share best practices with physicians and hospitals who need help installing electronic health record systems, according to Charles Friedman, deputy national coordinator for health IT, who signed the notice.
The centers will furnish individualized and, as needed, on-site assistance to providers. The on-site assistance will be a “key service” and “will represent a significant portion of the regional centers’ activities,” Friedman said.
The minimum level of support must include “unbiased” information on mechanisms to exchange health information and to support the integration of health information exchange into the workflow.
The Health IT Research Center, which HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will establish, will coordinate the regional extension centers.
The extension program will also establish provisions to make sure assure that the uninsured, underinsured and historically underserved populations have access to health IT to help reduce health disparities, according to Friedman.
The draft plan was posted in a pre-publication section of the Federal Register Web site. ONC will publish the formal notice May 28, according to the draft, which can be viewed at http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-12419_PI.pdf.
ENJOY!
CC
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