Dive Brief:
- HHS yesterday announced more than $87 million in funding to support EHR investments at a total of 1,310 health centers across every state, the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories..
- Funds can be used to upgrade existing and purchase new EHR systems certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).
- The money comes from the Community Health Center Fund, which was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and extended by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.
Dive Insight:
The $87 million in funding is the most significant health IT direct investment in health centers since 2009. The money is intended to help health centers improve health IT capabilities to smooth the transition away from fee-for-service payment models.
Health centers have become a key point of care for many underserved patients. Since the Health Center Program was established by the ACA to reduce health disparities by providing primary care services in high-need communities, more than 24 million patients have received care at a health center. In the quest to improve health outcomes in underserved communities and to reduce health disparities, health IT can play a large role.
The ONC has paid significant attention to the role health IT can play in reducing health disparities. However, underserved populations have typically not benefited from health IT advancements. For instance, a June 2015 ONC report determined patients with lower incomes and those without college degrees were offered significantly less online access to health information than patients with college degrees and those with higher incomes. The $87 million in funding for health centers should help to reduce disparities in access to health IT capabilities.