Federal Stimulus Allocates $32B for Research and Healthcare IT
February 20, 2009
ShareThis
Ohio Launches Web site Dedicated to State Funds From Stimulus
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, was signed into law this week. Provided within the plan is $32 billion which will be dedicated to research under the National Institutes of Health and to advancing healthcare IT and electronic medical records initiatives. At least $20 billion of the stimulus will go towards healthcare IT to encourage the adoption of electronic medical records which it is believed will reduce costs and increase quality care. Another $10 billion will go towards NIH research programs including $1 billion for cancer research. The stimulus also provides more than $1 billion for comparative-effectiveness research and nearly $1 billion for clinical and community-based prevention services.
To qualify for healthcare IT stimulus monies, healthcare systems, physicians and even payers will have to prove that they are using electronic medical records that comply with federal guidelines. Fred Richards, founder of Columbus-based HTP, which was acquired in 2008 by McKesson and is now part of RelayHealth, says that medical professionals and healthcare systems are still awaiting details on what they must do to be compliant with federal requirements. This he says will take most of 2009 and 2010 to implement programs in order to receive funds for hospitals.
“There’s still a lot that’s not clear and things are changing daily,” says Richards who now serves as vice president of Healthcare Strategies for RelayHealth. McKesson has set up a hotline for those interested in assistance with the details of the program as they develop. The number is 1-877-EHR-1MCK (1-877-347-1625).
As for state stimulus money, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland announced that Ohio will receive at least $8.2 billion as part of the program which he says will save or create more than 130,000 jobs. In addition to initial monies, state and local governments can compete for other federal stimulus funds.
The Governor announced the launch of a new Web site for those interested in staying abreast of how federal stimulus monies will be used in the state. The site will serve also as an interactive portal for those interested in applying for federal stimulus grant and loan funds.
For more information on the impact of the stimulus on Research and Healthcare IT, see the story in Modern Healthcare: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090217/REG/302179956
For more on the stimulus in Ohio visit: http://recovery.ohio.gov/