Thursday, Feb 10 2011 5:09PM
Federal grants will expand technological assistance and services to rural hospitals
An additional $12 million has been awarded toward providing new technological support assistance to critical access hospitals in rural sections of the country, announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Distributed through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's Regional Extension Center program, the money will help 1,777 critical access and rural hospitals install support services that will allow them to qualify for incentive payments from Medicare and Medicaid. The funding follows a $20 million award for the same purpose provided to RECs in September.
"Health information technology can offer rural health care providers and their patients resources and expertise that may not be currently available in their communities," said David Blumenthal, a national coordinator for health information technology in the ONC.
Rural hospital facilities that have less than 50 beds and are in need of training to implement electronic health records are the places the REC aims to help with its rural community assistance program. Critical access centers across 41 states and Native American territories are eligible for the grant.
Other government agencies are also implementing programs that will improve healthcare in outlying communities. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently awarding grants to various rural areas to encourage telemedicine and telehealth services.