HHS Awards $83.9 Million in Recovery Act Funds to Expand Use of Health Information Technology

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $83.9 million in grants to help networks of health centers adopt electronic health records (EHR) and other health information technology (HIT) systems.

Click here for full article: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/06/20100603a.html

HHS Announces $267 Million in Recovery Act Funds for New Health IT Regional Extension Centers

Grants to Provide Hands-On, Community-Based Support to Providers to Accelerate the Adoption of Health Information Technology

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that more than $267 million has been awarded to 28 additional non-profit organizations to establish Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (RECs). This investment, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will help grow the emerging health information technology (health IT) industry which is expected to support tens of thousands of jobs ranging from nurses and pharmacy techs to IT technicians and trainers.

To read more: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/04/20100406a.html

HHS Secretary Sebelius Announces Release of $6 Billion in New CHIP Funds to Insure Children

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that $6 billion in new federal funds will be made available to states and U.S. territories for fiscal year 2009 to provide health care to millions of children across America through their Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).

HHS Secretary Sebelius Announces Release of $6 Billion in New CHIP Funds to Insure Children

Maryland awarded nearly $1M for electronic health records

Maryland health clinics will receive up to $951,000 this year in federal funds to pay for new electronic health records.

Funding for the project was part of a $410 billion Omnibus Appropriations Act signed by President Barack Obama last month. The legislation funds the operations of the federal government through Sept. 30.

To read more: http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/04/13/daily4.html?surround=etf

Senate committee confirms Sebelius as HHS secretary

Tuesday the Senate confirmed Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to join President Barack Obama's cabinet as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. As HHS Secretary, Sebelius will be responsible for more that $100 billion allotted to healthcare in the stimulus package and an estimated $17 billion in incentives for Medicare and Medicaid providers who can prove "meaningful use" of their EHRs. Sebelius is a strong supporter of innovations in health information technology and believes that an investment in EHRs will lay the foundation for a 21st Century system of reduced medical errors, lower healthcare costs and empowered consumers

To read more: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/senate-committee-confirms-sebelius-hhs-secretary