Don't Forget The October 3 Deadline to Qualify for Meaningful Use Before the End of the Year!!

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Home > EHR incentive program ramps up to 90,000 providers

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EHR incentive program ramps up to 90,000 providers

By Mary Mosquera

Created 2011-09-14 20:57

Physicians and hospitals signed up in droves in August to participate in the meaningful use incentive program, with 13,000 registering, a 30 percent jump from July, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
As of the end of August, a total of 90,000 eligible physicians, other professionals and hospitals are taking part in the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health records (EHR) incentive programs, said Robert Anthony, a specialist in CMS’ Office of e-Health Standards and Services.
In July, that total was 77,000 providers.
Drilling down into the numbers, CMS paid Medicare incentives to 1,000 physicians in August, nearly double the number of clinicians paid in July, which was double the number of those paid in June, he said. About half of all physicians who have been paid under the Medicare program were paid in August. Physicians who demonstrate the first stage of meaningful use in 2011 or 2012 can receive $18,000.
“When we launched in April, we had a trickle, and that trickle is turning into a faucet opening up a little more. If this trend holds, we’ll have the faucet fully going,” Anthony said at the Sept. 14 meeting of the Health IT Policy Committee, which advises the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
Among evidence that has emerged is that providers across the age spectrum are participating in the meaningful use program, “despite the sentiment that was voiced that older physicians wouldn’t be interested since they are close to retiring,” he said. However, he cautioned that the sample is still small.
On the Medicaid side, 23 states have opened their incentive program as of August. When larger states, such as California, start up their programs at the end of the year, “Medicaid payments will spike quickly,” said Robert Tagalicod, director of CMS’ Office of e-Health Standards and Services.
Close to 1,300 physicians and other eligible professionals received payments, 23 percent more than in July. In August, $150 million in Medicaid incentives were paid, a little less than half of the total year to date, Anthony said.
CMS issued a total of $264 million in payments in August, twice as much as paid out in July, and $652 million for the year to date, he said.
ONC and CMS are coordinating more of their activities and sharing more data, such as about the nearly 100,000 providers who have signed up to work with the 62 regional health IT extensions centers across the country, Tagalicod said.
CMS will be able to “match up provider numbers to the data on geography, practice size and health IT vendor” to understand who is meeting meaningful use and where, he said. The extension centers, which ONC has funded, aim to assist physicians overcome the hurdles of deploying certified EHRs and becoming meaningful users.

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Source URL: http://www.govhealthit.com/news/ehr-incentive-program-ramps-90000-providers

Links:
[1] http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/01_Overview.asp#TopOfPage
[2] http://govhealthit.com/news/cms-counts-early-ehr-incentive-adopters
[3] http://www.govhealthit.com/news/cms-explains-how-get-paid-ehr-incentives
[4] http://www.govhealthit.com/../../../../../../news/qa-how-meaningful-use-clashing-icd-10

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Home > HHS Consumer Health IT Summit power-charged for progress

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HHS Consumer Health IT Summit power-charged for progress

By Diana Manos, Senior Editor

Created 09/12/2011

WASHINGTON – Sept. 12 was a big day for healthcare IT. Federal officials hosted a consumer health IT summit, jam-packed with new initiatives to advance HIT. The event was charged with a wave of energy toward grass roots change, specifically supporting patient-centered care.

The summit, held at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. was part of the Sixth National Health IT Week, a collaborative event hosted by the Health Information and Management Systems Society.

Obama declares National Health IT Week, Sept. 11-16

President Barack Obama proclaimed on Monday, in conjunction with the summit, that Sept. 11-16 would officially be federally recognized as National Health IT week going forward.

Farzad Mostashari, MD, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, who moderated the summit, emphasized the new exciting times healthcare IT now faces. "It now costs nearly nothing to share ideas instantaneously with anyone, anywhere," he said. "This is changing our world, and healthcare."

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Patients have that right to access their health information," Mostashari added. "We are here today to make it easy for them to have that right."

Sebelius reports 80,000 providers signed up for MU

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said healthcare IT will allow Americans to be part of their own healthcare. "I want to welcome you all to the conversation," she told the audience.

Sebelius reported that progress is moving rapidly, with 80,000 providers signed up to receive incentives for the meaningful use of electronic health records as of this week.

Seventy percent of the physicians targeted by the regional extension centers (RECs) – a federal program to help guide providers in adopting healthcare IT – have signed on for help. Rural states have been particularly eager to work with the RECs, Sebelius said, with Nebraska showing nearly every provider signed on.

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The potential for patients in this change is enormous," she added.

HHS proposes to allow patients direct access to lab results

As part of that change, HHS released a proposed rule on Monday that would allow patients access to their lab results directly from the lab.

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That's a big deal," Sebelius said, because every year many test results never get to the patient. She added that keeping the information secure will be paramount.

Patients have the right to access their EHR, civil rights official says

Federal leaders emphasized the importance of getting patients involved in their own care, starting with access to electronic health records.

"Patients are the most underutilized resource for healthcare," Mostashari said.

Don Berwick, MD, CMS administrator, asked: "Why would we not use all the knowledge available? Why would we waste a bit of it?" Patients are the experts of their own healthcare, and doctors are the coaches, he added. "Caregivers are the guests in [patients'] lives," he said.

Mostashari said ONC has heard some reservations on the part of some physicians to give patients access to their electronic medical records.

Leon Rodriquez, director of the HHS Office of Civil clarified the situation. "Patient can have access to their records, under HIPAA," he said.

Blue Button gains widespread support

Federal officials also announced that the Blue Button program launched by the Veterans Health Administration, is now going mainstream. It has extended its reach beyond the VA and is now supported by healthcare providers and health plans, with availability already extended to millions of Americans.

The Obama Administration announced the Blue Button capability in August 2010. It was developed by CMS, the Department of Defense and the Markle Foundation.

With the click of a blue button, users of the program can share a simple version of their healthcare information with trusted parties.

The U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and HHS Chief Technology Officer Todd Park named the current sponsors of Blue Button, which included Kaiser Permanente, McKesson, Microsoft Healthvault, Aetna, United Health Group, the state of Indiana and others.

After the announcement, Chopra chanted, "Grassroots change!"

"I'm proud of Blue Button Initiative," Berwick said. "It is an iconic wonderful idea. The Blue Button isn't just valuable, it's magic. It's the open sesame button that will open the door to a whole new level of care."

Peter Levin, senior advisor and CTO for Veteran Affairs, said the Blue Button is not a full comprehensive medical record, "but it's infinitely better than nothing at all."

He called the Blue Button "a liquid, liberated model that puts patients at the center."

Patient privacy rights activists were not represented among the speakers at the summit.

ONC releases standardized notice for PHR vendors

Mostashari also announced the release of a new PHR model privacy notice, already embraced by Microsoft, Dossia and NoMoreClipboard.

The model is intended to be a tool to allow PHR vendors to share their privacy policies in an understandable, uniform way for consumers, he said. "It is a Web-based approach that can reinforce consumer trust," he said. The model was developed by HHS with the FTC.

[See related articles: Fall brings health IT activity to Washington, Mostashari to providers: MU is not about 'hoop jumping'.]

Follow Diana Manos on Twitter @DManos_IT_News.

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Source URL: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hhs-consumer-health-it-summit-power-charged-progress

Links:
[1] http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/12/presidential-proclamation-national-health-information-technology-week
[2] http://www.ofr.gov/(X(1)S(cp53mc3sjd3cbdfu4r32fhcj))/OFRUpload/OFRData/2011-23525_PI.pdf
[3] https://www.cms.gov/NonIdentifiableDataFiles/12_BlueButtonInitiative.asp
[4] http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt/community/healthit_hhs_gov__draft_phr_model_notice/1176
[5] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/fall-brings-health-it-activity-washington
[6] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/mostashari-providers-mu-not-about-hoop-jumping

Published on Healthcare IT News (http://www.healthcareitnews.com/)

Home > HHS awards $137M to states for health IT, prevention

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HHS awards $137M to states for health IT, prevention

By Bernie Monegain, Editor

Created 08/25/2011

WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday awarded $137 million to nearly every state to strengthen prevention efforts and to improve public health. Many of the awards include a health IT component, such as immunization information technologies and registries.
"More than ever, it is important to help states fight disease and protect public health," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "These awards are an important investment and will enable states and communities to help Americans quit smoking, get immunized and prevent disease and illness before they start."
The grants will fund key state and local public health programs supported through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Most of the grant money comes from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act. Additional SAMHSA funds supplement the investment.
"CDC supports state and local public health departments, which are key to keeping America safe from threats to health, safety, and security from this country or anywhere in the world," said CDC Director Thomas Frieden. MD. "With these funds, CDC is strengthening our ability to prevent and combat diseases and keep Americans safe against expensive and dangerous health threats."
The awards include:

• Up to $75 million to fund nine Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment programs over the next five years. These programs will allow communities throughout the nation to provide more comprehensive substance abuse screening, secondary prevention, early intervention and referrals to treatment for people at higher risk for substance abuse. The actual award amounts may vary, depending on the availability of funds and the performance of the grantees.
• More than $42 million to support: improvements to the Immunization Information Systems (registries) and other immunization information technologies; development of systems to improve billing for immunization services; planning and implementation of adult immunization programs; enhancement of vaccination capacity located in schools; and evaluations of the impact on disease of recent vaccine recommendations for children and adolescents.
• $9.2 million to eight national non-profit professional public health organizations to assist state, tribal, local and territorial health departments in adopting effective practices that strengthen their core public health systems and service delivery. They will also enhance the workforce by providing jobs in critical disciplines of epidemiology and informatics, thus attracting new talent to public health.  
• Nearly $5 million to help states and territories enhance and expand the national network of tobacco cessation quitlines to increase the number of tobacco users who quit. Quitlines are the toll-free numbers people can call to obtain smoking cessation treatments and services.
• $2.6 million to the Emerging Infections Programs around the country to continue improvement in disease monitoring, professional development and training, information technology development and laboratory capacity.
• $1.5 million to evaluate and prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia to reduce cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and protect Americans from healthcare-associated infectious diseases.
• $1 million to further enhance the nation's public health laboratories by hiring and preparing scientists for careers in public health laboratories, providing training for scientists, and supporting public health initiatives related to infectious disease research.

A full list of the awards by state and their projects is on the next page.

The awards by state

Alabama
Alabama State Department Public Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $105,155; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,438,016 
American Somoa Government - SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, $8,304,000 
Arizona
Arizona State Department Of Health Services - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $118,909; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,162,818 
Arkansas
Arkansas State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $91,895; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,786,942 
California
California Department of Public Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $340,245; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $765,000; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $216,151; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $381,103 
Colorado
Colorado State Department of Public Health & Environment - CDC Tobacco Quitlines.$107,45; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,800,000; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $166,864; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring.$191,878
Colorado State Government -SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, $8,330,000 
Connecticut
Connecticut State Department of Public Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines. $96,478; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,225,182; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $296,877; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $199,515
State of Connecticut - SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, $8,330,000 
District of ColumbiaAmerican Public Health Association - CDC Improve Public Health Infrastructure Investments, $464,400
Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs - CDC Improve Adoption and Use of Evidence-Based Preventive Services, $61,137
National Association of City/County Health Officials - CDC Improve Adoption and Use of Evidence-Based Preventive Services, $266,821; CDC Prevent Healthcare-associated infections, $100,000; CDC Improve Public Health Infrastructure Investments, $558,400; CDC Accelerate Accreditation Readiness, $835,000; CDC Enhance the Ability for States to Bill Insurance for Immunization Services Provided in a Health Department Clinic, $200,000
The Public Health Foundation - CDC Improve Adoption and Use of Evidence-Based Preventive Services, $296,329; CDC Improve Public Health Infrastructure Investments. $464,400; CDC Strengthen workforce development and training, $172,000
Delaware
Delaware State Department of Health & Social Services, CDC Tobacco Quitlines. $77,285
Florida
Florida State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $205,000; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $718,920 
Georgia
Georgia Department Of Community Health - CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,036,494; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $235,911; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $212,612
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists - CDC Prevent Healthcare-associated infections, $290,000; CDC Strengthen Public Health Informatics Training, $1,162,081; CDC Strengthen workforce development and training, $1,934,625 
Guam
Guam Department Of Public Health and Social Services - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $50,000 
Hawaii
Hawaii State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $80,274; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization. $933,189
Idaho
Idaho State Department Of Health And Welfare - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $82,100 
Illinois
Office of the Governor - SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment. $8,324,317
Indiana
Indiana State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $117,651; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $271,141
Office of the Governor - SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, $8,329,906 
Iowa
Iowa State Department of Public Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $92,758; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $900,000 
Kansas
Kansas State Department of Health And Environment - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $91,379; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $3,115,885 
Kentucky
Kentucky Cabinet For Health And Family Services -tCDC Tobacco Quitlines, $102,279 
Louisiana
Louisiana State Department of Health & Hospitals - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $103,575
National Network of Public Health Institutes - CDC Improve Adoption and Use of Evidence-Based Preventive Services, $249,582; CDC Improve Public Health Infrastructure Investments, $564,400 
Continued on next page.
Maine
Maine State Department of Health and Human Services - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $80,443; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,256,896
Maryland
Maryland State Department Of Health and Mental Hygiene - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $112,377; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,297,548; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $239,195; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $145,460
Association of Public Health Laboratories - CDC Partnership for Quality Laboratory Practice, $1,000,000 
Massachusetts
Massachusetts State Department of Public Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $118,894; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $2,570,827
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care - CDC Streamlined surveillance for ventilator associated pneumonia: reducing burden and demonstrating preventability.$1,508,825 
Michigan
Michigan State Department Of Community Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $143,503; DC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,235,590 
Minnesota
Minnesota State Department Of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $109,218; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,261,172; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $313,593; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $328,791
Mississippi
Mississippi State Department Of Health - CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $484,195 
Missouri
Missouri State Department of Health & Senior Services - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $114,477; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,397,940
The Children's Mercy Hospital - CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $201,220
Montana
Montana State Department of Public Health & Human Services - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $77,939
Nebraska
Nebraska State Department of Health & Human Services - CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization,$492,300
Nevada
Nevada State Department Of Health and Human Services- CDC Tobacco Quitlines $90,099; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization $539,989 
New Hampshire
New Hampshire State Department Of Health And Human Services- CDC Tobacco Quitlines $80,488 
New Jersey
New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services - CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $876,197 
New Mexico
New Mexico State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $85,482; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $254,826; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $162,131
New York
New York State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines $213,269;  CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $2,573,336; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $300,477; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $409,254
University of Rochester - CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $201,220
State of New York - SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, $8,330,000
North Carolina
North Carolina State Department of Health & Human Services - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $139,210; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,023,484; SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, $8,330,000
North Dakota
North Dakota State Department of Health - CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $226,418
Continued on next page.
Ohio
Ohio Department Of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $154,966; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $252,275
National Association of Local Boards of Health - CDC Improve Adoption and Use of Evidence-Based Preventive Services, $265,449
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center - CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $201,220
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Department Of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $97,707; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,046,675
Oregon
Oregon State Public Health Division - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $98,711; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $639,590; CDC Emerging Infections Program, $268,693; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $167,139 
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $162,708 
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $99,750 
Rhode Island
Rhode Island State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $78,510
South Carolina
South Carolina State Department of Health and Environment - CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $654,034 
Tennessee
Tennessee State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $116,726; CDC Emerging Infections Program. $307,413; CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $162,890
Vanderbilt University Medical Center - CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $201,220
Tennessee State Department of Mental Health - SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, $8,330,000 
Texas
Texas State Department of Health Services - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $251,470; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $540,000
Houston City Health & Human Services - CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $134,842 
Utah
Utah State Department Of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $91,130; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $515,979 
Vermont
Vermont Department Of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $75,365; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $792,138 
Virginia
Virginia State Department Of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $128,289; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $452,061
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials - CDC Improve Adoption and Use of Evidence-Based Preventive Services, $305,682;  CDC Prevent Healthcare-associated infections, $100,000; CDC Improve Public Health Infrastructure Investments, $558,400; CDC Strengthen Public Health Informatics Training, $337,920; CDC Strengthen workforce development and training $75,000
Washington
Washington State Department Of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $119,408; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,736,427
Seattle Children's Hospital - CDC Vaccine Effectiveness Monitoring, $201,220
Department of Social and Health Services - SAMHSA Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, $8,330,000 
West Virginia
West Virginia State Department of Health and Human Resources - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $84,098; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $1,317,124 
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Health Services - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $112,051; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $756,548
Wyoming
Wyoming State Department of Health - CDC Tobacco Quitlines, $74,800; CDC Strengthen Public Health Immunization, $485,906 
*Note: All CDC award amounts represent the first year of funding for multi-year projects. All SAMHSA award amounts represent the maximum amount for which grantees are eligible over a five-year grant period.  The actual award amount may vary, depending on the availability of funds and the performance of the grantee.
 

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Links:
[1] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hhs-use-it-help-enroll-kids-medicaid-chip
[2] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/obamas-new-rural-jobs-initiative-includes-health-it

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Home > Obama's new rural jobs initiative includes health IT

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Obama's new rural jobs initiative includes health IT

By Bernie Monegain, Editor

Created 08/16/2011

PEOSTA, IA – New healthcare IT jobs are part of the Jobs Initiatives for Rural America President Obama included announced Aug. 16 at the White House Rural Economic Forum here. The plan includes making HHS loans available to help more than 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals recruit additional staff, and helping rural hospitals purchase software and hardware to implement health IT.
The forum at Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta, Iowa is part of the president’s three-day bus tour in the Midwest. It brings together farmers, small business owners, private sector leaders, rural organizations and government officials to discuss ideas and initiatives to promote economic growth, accelerate hiring and spur innovation in rural communities nationwide.
[See also: Health IT effort to create thousands of new jobs, says Blumenthal.]

The jobs initiatives were recommended by the White House Rural Council for growing the economy and creating jobs in rural America. The Council’s recommendations focus on key areas of need in rural communities, including helping rural small businesses access capital, expanding rural job search and training services, and increasing rural access to healthcare workers and technology.
“These are tough times for a lot of Americans – including those who live in our rural communities,” said Obama. “That’s why my administration has put a special focus on helping rural families find jobs, grow their businesses, and regain a sense of economic security.”
[See also: Health IT No. 1 on list of top 10 'hot' careers.]
“Creating jobs and economic opportunity in rural America is a priority for the Obama Administration, and the White House Rural Council has used an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to leverage resources across the federal government to achieve that goal,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “By bringing new capital, job training, and additional investments to our rural communities, we are working to ensure the people who live in these towns have a better, brighter future.”
The Council’s recommendations, which leverage existing programs and funding, include committing $350 million in SBA funding to rural small businesses over the next five years, launching a series of conferences to connect private equity and venture capital investors with rural start ups, creating capital marketing teams to pitch federal funding opportunities to private investors interested in making rural investments, making job search information available at 2,800 local USDA offices nationwide, making HHS loans available to help more than 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals recruit additional staff and helping rural hospitals purchase software and hardware to implement health IT.
See next page for a list of the new initiatives.

New Initiatives:
Increasing Rural Access to Health Care Workers and Technology

• Increasing Physician Recruitment at Critical Access Hospitals: HHS will issue guidance to expand eligibility for the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program so that Critical Access Hospitals (those with 25 beds or fewer) can use these loans to recruit new physicians. This program will help more than 1,300 CAHs across the country recruit needed staff. The addition of one primary care physician in a rural community generates approximately $1.5 million in annual revenue and creates 23 jobs annually. The average CAH creates 107 jobs and generates $4.8 million in payroll annually.
• Expanding Health Information Technology (IT) in Rural America: USDA and HHS will sign an agreement linking rural hospitals and clinicians to existing capital loan programs that enable them to purchase software and hardware needed to implement health information technology (HIT). Under current conditions, rural health care providers face challenges in harnessing the benefits of HIT due to limited access to capital and workforce challenges. Rural hospitals tend to have lower financial operating margins and limited capital to make the investments needed to purchase hardware, software and other equipment.

Helping Rural Small Businesses Access Capital

• Doubling SBA Investment Funds for Rural Small Businesses over the Next 5 Years:As part of the Startup America Initiative, SBA recently announced the creation of a $1 billion Impact Investment Fund through its Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program. The Impact Fund will invest in distressed areas as well as in emerging sectors such as clean energy. SBA provides up to a 2:1 match to private capital raised by this fund, partnering with private investors to target “impact” investments. SBA and USDA will partner together to drive $350 million of investment capital through the Impact Fund and existing SBICs into rural small businesses over the next five years, doubling the current rate of investment.
• Connecting Rural Small Businesses with Private Investment Capital: To further achieve this goal, SBA and USDA will launch a series of Rural Private Equity and Venture Capital conferences nationwide to provide a platform for connecting private equity and venture capital investors with rural start-ups. USDA, SBA, Treasury, Interior and other relevant agencies will also create rural capital “marketing teams” that pitch federal funding opportunities to private investors. These “marketing teams” will leverage existing personnel with expertise about rural funding sources across all federal departments and agencies.

Expanding Rural Job Search and Training Services

• Expanding DOL Job Search and Training Services to 2,800 USDA Sites Nationwide: USDA and DOL will partner to increase access to existing job search and training information for rural job-seekers by providing DOL employment information at 2,800 USDA field offices nationwide. This will significantly reduce the distance that rural Americans need to travel in order to access DOL job search employment information.

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Source URL: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/obamas-new-rural-jobs-initiative-includes-health-it

Links:
[1] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/health-it-effort-create-thousands-new-jobs-says-blumenthal
[2] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/health-it-no-1-list-top-10-hot-careers