Federal Resources to Help Rural Providers Achieve Meaningful Use

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.





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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



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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 .

Documents

Federal Resources to Help Rural Providers Achieve Meaningful Use