Community Health Centers
Community Health Centers are the first recipients of funding made available through the ARRA. The dollars will be distributed in the following manner:
- $1.5 Billion for Capital Needs (including acquisition of information technology for Section 330 funded centers)
- $500 Million for center operations (not healthcare IT related)
- $500 Million for Primary Workforce Investments (training and loan repayment)
- Medicaid Incentive payments as part of the stimulus package. Eligible centers may get up to $65,000 per provider for allowable costs.
Already, funds have been released to Community Health Centers for various initiatives:
- On March 2, $155 million to establish 126 new health center sites was granted. Those grants are providing access to essential preventive and primary health care.
- On March 27, The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $338 Million in Increased Demand for Services grants for health centers. These funds are designated for providing additional patient care over the next two years.
- On June 29, The Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program (CIP) grants were announced. $851 million will support the construction, repair and renovation of health centers nationwide. In this designation of funds, more than 650 health centers will be able to purchase new equipment or health information technology, while approximately 400 centers will adopt or expand the use of electronic health records.
Stimulus funding for eligible professionals in Community Health Centers are triggered when providers demonstrate the meaningful use of a certified EMR.
Meaningful use is tentatively defined as demonstrated performance during the reporting period for each payment year of:
- Electronic prescribing
- Interoperability in a manner that provides an electronic exchange of information that improves the quality of care by promoting care coordination
- Reporting clinical quality measures and other measures selected by the Secretary of HHS
Certified EMR is currently, yet tentatively, defined as a system that includes the following:
- Patient demographics
- Clinical Health Information
- Capacity to provide clinical decision support / physician order entry
- Capacity to capture and query information relevant to healthcare quality and to exchange electronic health information with and integrate such information from other sources.
Further definitions of meaningful use and certified systems will be posted as they become available.
HOW HEALTHPORT CAN HELP
HealthPort EMR is CCHIT certified and is uniquely designed to meet the clinical, operational and reporting needs of Community Health Centers. We currently facilitate the management of more than five million distinct users within our technology and serve hundreds of health center sites nationwide.
HealthPort is committed to maintaining CCHIT certification at all times and meeting any other criteria and requirements established by the government for receipt of funding. With a proven track record of quality service, innovative technology, and trusted expertise, HealthPort EMR enables Community Health Centers to realize the maximum benefits of electronic records:
- Enhanced patient care and safety
- Streamlined business processes
- Improved financial outcomes
Successful electronic medical record solutions accommodate the way you work. HealthPort EMR was developed with the help of physicians, which means our flexible system works the way your providers do—not the other way around. In fact, our user definable templates continue to be one of our strongest selling points. Our robust reporting system allows Community Health Centers to track required information with ease. Grant writing assistance is also available.