federal resources to help rural providers achieve meaningful use
TRANSCRIPT
8/7/2019 Federal Resources to Help Rural Providers Achieve Meaningful Use
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HealthIT.govFEDERAL RESOURCES TO HELP RURAL
PROVIDERS ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL USE
Health care providers serving the approximately 50 million Americans who reside in rural communitiesface special challenges in their effort to deliver quality care. The realities of distance, isolation, and
constricted resources can complicate health care delivery. Health information technology (health IT) can
help ameliorate some of those problems. However, rural health care providers face several barriers to
health IT implementation. These include:
Lackofbroadbandinternetaccess;
NotenoughskilledITpersonnel;and
Insufcientnancialcapitaltoimplementelectronichealthrecord(EHR)systems.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is committed to helping rural providers
overcomethesechallenges.TheHHSRuralHealthITTaskForceformedtoensuretheeffectiveuse
ofFederalresourcestohelpruralprovidersqualifyformeaningfuluseincentivepaymentsandtohelp
enableruralAmericatobenetfromhealthIT.
SeveraldifferentFederalagenciesanddepartmentsareinvolvedintheefforttohelpruralhealthcare
providerstransitiontoelectronichealthrecords(EHRs).BelowaresomeoftheFederalresources
currently available for rural providers interested in achieving meaningful use of health IT.
The Ofce o the National Coordinator or Health Inormation Technology (ONC)
ONCischargedwithcoordinatingnationwideeffortstoimplementhealthinformationtechnologyandtheelectronicexchangeofhealthinformationinallareasofthecountry—urban,suburban,andrural.ONC
hasestablishedthefollowingprogramstohelpprovidersadoptandmeaningfullyuseEHRs:
• RegionalExtensionCenters(RECs),whicharelocatedacrossthecountry,supportandservehealth
careproviderstohelpthemquicklybecomeadeptandmeaningfulusersofEHRs.MostoftheRECs
have received extra funding to help critical access and rural hospitals convert from paper-based
recordstocertiedEHRsystems.TheRECsaresetupto:
ProvidetrainingandsupportservicestoassistdoctorsandotherprovidersinadoptingEHRs
OfferinformationandguidancetohelpwithEHRimplementation
o Give technical assistance as needed
FormoreinformationontheRECprogramortondtheRECthatservesyourarea,goto
http://healthit.hhs.gov/rec.
TheHealthITWorkforceDevelopmentProgramtrainsskilledprofessionalsintheeld
ofhealthITtoenablethemtohelpprovidersadoptandmeaningfullyuseEHRs.This
includestrainingforhealthworkersnowemployedinruralpracticesandfacilities,with
broad opportunities for distance learning.
8/7/2019 Federal Resources to Help Rural Providers Achieve Meaningful Use
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8/7/2019 Federal Resources to Help Rural Providers Achieve Meaningful Use
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The Centers or Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
CMSengagesinfrequentoutreachactivitiestoeducatethestatesontheMedicaidEHRIncentive
Program,andtogatherfeedbackfromthestatesabouttheprogram.CMShosts“All-StatesCalls”and
has a number of educational materials available for download from its website,
http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/40_MedicaidStateInfo.asp.
Agency or Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
TheAHRQNationalResourceCenter(NRC)isapublicresourceforsharingresearchndings,best
practices, lessons learned, and funding opportunities with health IT researchers, implementers, and
policymakers.Morethan10,000documents,presentations,articles,andtoolsarefreelyavailableat
http://www.healthit.ahrq.gov.
Indian Health Service (IHS)
IHSsupportsthenationalTelehealthTechnologyAssistanceCenter(T-TAC)bytrackingchangesin
telehealth technologies, assessing these technologies, and providing technical assistance to grantees
intheselectionofstrategiestooptimallydelivertelehealthclinicalservices.Formoreinformation,goto
http://www.telehealthtac.org/home.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
TheFCChelpsruralprovidersaccessaffordabletelecommunicationservicesnecessaryfortheadoptionand meaningful use of health IT.
TheRuralHealthCareprogramprovidesfundingtoeligiblehealthcareprovidersfor
telecommunications services, including broadband necessary for the provision of health care. The
program is designed to ensure that rural providers pay no more than their urban counterparts for their
telecommunicationsandInternetaccessneedsinprovidinghealthcare.Formoreinformationonthis
program, go to http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/tapd/ruralhealth.
TheFCChasalsoinitiatedaRuralHealthCarePilotProgramtofacilitatethecreationofanationwide
broadbandnetworkdedicatedtohealthcare,connectingpublicandprivatenonprothealthcare providersinruralandurbanlocations.Formoreinformation,goto
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/rhcp.html.
FEDERAL RESOURCES TO HELP RURAL
PROVIDERS ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL USE HealthIT.gov
8/7/2019 Federal Resources to Help Rural Providers Achieve Meaningful Use
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U.S. Department o Agriculture (USDA)TheUSDARuralDevelopmentOfcehasprogramsinplacetohelpruralprovidersestablishthe
infrastructure they need to adopt health IT and engage in the secure sharing of information—the
cornerstone of meaningful use.
TheRuralUtilitiesServiceprovidesprogramstonanceruralAmerica’stelecommunications
infrastructure,includingtheBroadbandLoanProgram,theDistanceLearningandTelemedicine
Program,theCommunityConnectGrantProgram,andtheTelecommunicationsInfrastructure
LoanProgram.Formoreinformationontheseprograms,goto
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RUSTelecomPrograms.html.
TheCommunityProgramsprovidegrantstoassistinthedevelopmentofessentialcommunityfacilities
inruralareas;fundscanbeusedtoconstruct,enlarge,orimprovecommunityfacilitiesforhealthcare,
publicsafety,andcommunityandpublicservices.Formoreinformationonthesegrants,goto
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/HAD-CF_Grants.html .
FEDERAL RESOURCES TO HELP RURAL
PROVIDERS ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL USE HealthIT.gov
Need help fnding grant opportunities or preparing grant applications?
ONChaspreparedagettingstartedGrantsPrimer,whichhighlightsthekeystepsneededtond
and apply for grants. The Primer can be downloaded here: http://healthit.hhs.gov/grantsprimer.
TheRACwebsiteoffersalistingofallhealthITgrantopportunitiesfromFederalagencies.Formore
information, go to http://www.raconline.org .
TheStateUSDARuralDevelopmentOfcesalsoofferresourcesforgrant-relatedinformation.To
ndtheofceforyourstate,gotohttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html .