HHS proposes plans to set up regional health IT centers

May 31, 2009

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published a draft description of its proposed program to establish an unspecified number of health IT regional extension centers (Federal Register, May 28, 2009, Vol. 74:101, pp. 25550-25552).

The regional centers are intended to help healthcare providers select and successfully implement certified electronic health record (EHR) systems, as well as to provide technical assistance to achieve "meaningful user" status to providers who already have an operational EHR.

Provider assistance will be prioritized, with public, not-for-profit, and critical access hospitals receiving the highest priority, followed by federally qualified health centers; entities located in rural areas; entities that treat uninsured, underinsured, or medically underserved individuals; and individual or small group practices that focus on primary care.

Neither diagnostic imaging centers, women's imaging centers, nor nonhospital-affiliated cancer treatment centers are specifically referenced.

Preference for establishment and funding of the proposed regional centers will be given to multistakeholder collaborations that leverage local resources. Suggested affiliations include public or private universities offering healthcare-related degrees, professional and government medical societies, regional hospital organizations, large health centers or regional health information organization (RHIO) networks, and state primary care associations.

HHS plans to award grants in the amount of $1 to $2 million for each regional extension center, with total fund allocation for a single center capped at $10 million. Commitments to provide matching funding are recommended but not mandatory.

Public comment on the proposed program is being requested and should be sent to [email protected] by 5 p.m. EDT on June 11, 2009.