The Office of the National Coordinator today awarded $30 million in "Beacon" community grants to two Midwestern health care organizations, Greater Cincinnati HealthBridge Inc. and the Southeastern Michigan Health Association in Detroit, Mich.
The two were the final picks among a group, now totaling 17 communities, chosen to receive the Beacon grants, aimed at showcasing innovative uses of electronic health records and health information sharing across complex local health care settings.
The program is also designed to be a models for other regions just starting on the road to EHR adoption and meaningful use, according to Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator.
The Beacon grants are meant to help pilot electronic care coordination for patients with specific conditions among disparate physicians, hospitals and clinics in various regions. The grants continue for three years.
In May, ONC awarded 15 other Beacon communities a total of $220 million, part of $2 billion the HITECH Act funded to quicken health IT adoption. Previously announced Beacons communities included Indianapolis, Ind.; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Diego and Concord, N.C.
The Detroit area, which will receive $16.2 million, will concentrate on long-term management of patients with diabetes and to catch potential health complications before they arise, Blumenthal said.
All the healthcare providers who treat these patients will have access to the same up-to-date information about their condition, no matter where they are in the system.
"Beacon communities are designed to point the way toward maximizing community resources to address specific health goals at the local level, including quality of care, the cost of care, and the health of the whole population," Blumenthal said.
Cincinnati-area award, which will target 16 counties in three states, will not only focus on care coordination and improvement for adults with diabetes, but also children with asthma.
HealthBridge, an Midwest regional health information exchange serving the region, will support care coordination and clinical decision support to physicians, health systems, federally qualified health centers and critical access hospitals across the region.
More than 100 organizations applied for the final two Beacon slots, demonstrating that many communities have "promising ideas and are starting to use health IT in innovative ways," Blumenthal said.
