Home

  • Home
    • » e-Newsletters

HHS awards $139 million to drive adoption of HIT

Physician Practice Advisor, October 22, 2004

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced $139 million in grants and contracts to promote the use of health information technology (HIT). Awarded through HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), this multi-year program builds on President Bush's initiative to use HIT to improve the Nation's healthcare system.

"Increased adoption of information technology will speed the transformation of health care services in this nation," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said in an October 13 press release. "We're heeding the President's call to improve patient safety and quality of care. Technology can help to efficiently and effectively deliver the information caregivers need to take better care of their patients. These grants will help us ensure that the right patients are getting the right care at the right time."

These awards will provide insight into how best to use HIT to improve patient safety by reducing medication errors; increasing the use of shared health information between providers, laboratories, pharmacies, and patients; helping to ensure safer patient transitions between healthcare settings, including hospitals, doctors' offices, and nursing homes; and reducing duplicative and unnecessary testing.

Most Popular