The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded more than $22.3 million to 16 grantees to implement healthcare information technology (HIT) systems to improve the safety and quality of healthcare.
The recipients were selected from a group of AHRQ grantees who received health IT planning funds in 2004. The additional funding will allow them to carry out the plans developed in earlier grants. Eleven of the 16 grants were awarded to small and rural communities -- areas of special emphasis for AHRQ's HIT initiative, the agency said.
The newly funded implementation projects will focus on sharing health information among providers, laboratories, pharmacies, and patients; helping to ensure safer patient transitions between healthcare settings; and reducing medication errors and duplicative and unnecessary testing, according to AHRQ.
The awards join 40 implementation grant recipients announced by HHS last year. With the 16 new awards, AHRQ's investment in HIT now totals more than $166 million, the agency said.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
October 7, 2005
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