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Western Nebraska Health Information Exchange |
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Regional Health Records for Nebraska's PanhandleThe Regional Health Records collaboration in Western Nebraska has been awarded an estimated $1.5 million grant from the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to implement a regional health information exchange among a collaboration of hospitals, clinics, and other providers across a remote 14,000-square-mile area in Nebraska’s western panhandle. First-year funding for the three-year project is $499,799. Chadron Community Hospital is the lead agency in this application. The is one of 16 grantees selected by AHRQ to complete projects considered key to the nation’s 10-year strategy to bring health care into the 21st century by advancing the use of information technology (IT). In addition to an array of health care, behavioral health, and long-term care providers, other partners in the project include Panhandle Public Health District, Region I Behavioral Health, Panhandle Community Services , Western Community Health Resources, and the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center. “Primarily, AHRQ’s grant will help us ensure that important medical information is available to providers when they need it most: at the point of care,” said Nancy Shank, associate director of the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, Lincoln, and principal investigator for the project. “This kind of seamless information access is especially important in geographically dispersed areas such as ours, where people often end up visiting a provider they typically would not see.” Shank added that the grant will help “secure the equipment and resources that local hospitals and clinics need to share in a secure, confidential and private way laboratory data, pharmaceutical data, as well as patient records.” “This project is part of a national movement to make our health care system better and safer through smart use of information technology,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. “It is very exciting to see this project move from concept and planning to implementation and real-world impact.” “Our big vision for the future is to have a model that can be applied to small hospitals across the nation, since our plan will accommodate the wide variability in technology among the partnering organizations,” Shank noted. AHRQ launched its health IT initiative to advance the goals of President Bush for modernizing health care through the best and most effective use of IT. With the 16 new grant awards, AHRQ has invested $166 million in grants and contracts in 41 states to support and stimulate investment in health IT, especially in rural and underserved areas. Together, these projects form a nationwide learning laboratory of health care systems, hospitals, physician practices, research institutes, nursing homes, and other organizations that are helping to transform everyday clinical practice through health IT. To support its health IT initiative, AHRQ established the National Resource Center for Health Information Technology, which provides technical assistance to all of AHRQ’s health IT grantees and serves as the link between the health care community at large and the researchers and experts who are on the front lines of health IT. The National Resource Center will also disseminate new tools, best practices, and research results produced by this unique real-world laboratory for examining health IT at work. For more information on AHRQ’s health IT initiative, visit http://healthit.arhq.gov. AHRQ Awards Over $22.3 Million In Health Information Technology Implementation Grants - Full Press Release |
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Updated: 11/18/2007 |
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