Just when you thought all the money for the healthcare industry under ARRA has been revealed, HHS made another announcement last Friday that the federal government will give the healthcare workforce $130.8 million in grants.
As HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius noted, adequately preparing healthcare professionals as healthcare reform evolves and the population ages is critical. With the big push in health IT adoption, you can't equip them without proper funding. You can't mandate and expect success without resources.
This is another instance of HHS and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is overseeing the programs, having strategically laid out a plan to support the overall vision of health IT's ability to help improve clinical outcomes, reduce errors and make the healthcare system more efficient.
There are a lot of moving parts to the different programs. The biggest challenge is overseeing the programs in all the states, communities and organizations, and ensuring they are hitting their goals. I don't know what resources are being dedicated to do an adequate job or how many layers of management will be required. Obviously, all the grantees had to undergo a process to get their awards. Still, it's safe to say not all states are created equal in terms of implementation and oversight.
Let's hope states truly optimize the funds and ensure that the programs create a highly skilled healthcare workforce for the kind of 21st century healthcare the country has been waiting for for a long time.
Photo by Wonderlane courtesy of Creative Commons license.
