The Department of Health and Human Services plans to award approximately $87 million in funds to support health information technology updates at 1,310 health centers across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin.HHS said Thursday the funds will help health centers transition to value-based care models; use and share health information to support decisions; and facilitate engagement in delivery system transformation.
“This investment will help unlock health care data and put it to work, improving health outcomes and building a better health care system for the American people,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell.
The department added health centers must use the funds to buy or update electronic health record systems using technology that is approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
Funds will come from the Affordable Care Act’s Community Health Center Fund that was extended through the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, HHS noted.
The complete list of grant recipients is posted on the Health Resources and Services Administration‘s website.
