$22.5 Million in NHIN Funding Awarded to Nine Groups
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released funds to support pilot programs to develop the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). Nine different Health Information Exchange (HIE) programs received awards, as detailed in a press release from HHS. Over $22 million in funds were disbursed amongst the different applicants.
The collective goal of the research programs is to create a foundation for health information exchange programming. This will foster development of more complex HIEs in the future. As well, this effort further supports the presidential goal of implementing electronic health records across the country by 2014.
Opportunities cited through the implementation of HIEs include increased efficiencies in the delivery of care, improved prevention efforts, and improvements in the overall quality of healthcare delivery.
Organizations which received contract awards include CareSpark, the Delaware Health Information Network, Indiana University, Long Beach Network for Health, Lovelace Clinic Foundation, Med Virginia, New York eHealth Collaborative, North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance, and the West Virginia Health Information Network.
The Regenstrief Institute Indiana University School of Medicine, for example, received a $2.5 million contract; the Institute will cooperate with the Indiana Health Information Exchange in the program.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to issue contracts for complementary awards before the end of the year, to further support development of the NHIN.
October 17, 2007 Related topics: Wireless, Partnerships & Consortia, Contract Awards