46 Regional Extension Centers to Assist Rural Critical Access Hospitals
On September 10, 2010 HHS provided 46 Regional Extension Centers with additional funding to assist rural critical access hospitals and rural hospitals (see Background on critical access hospitals) with less than 50 beds in selecting and implementing certified EHR systems. Some 1,655 critical access and rural hospitals in 41 states and the nationwide Indian Country, headquartered in the District of Columbia stand to benefit from this special assistance.
This funding is a new and aimed specifically at assisting critical access and rural hospitals with their particular needs and challenges. It will build upon the substantial base HHS has already built to provide assistance to health care providers throughout the country as they transition to EHRs. By converting to certified EHR technology, these facilities can qualify for substantial additional incentive payments from Medicare or Medicaid. It highlights HHS’s effort in supporting rural providers and small practices to achieve meaningful use.
RECs receiving the CAH/rural hospitals awards are:
| Regional Extension Center (REC) | REC State Coverage | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama Regional Extension Center | Alabama | $432,000 |
| Alaska eHealth Network | Alaska | $168,000 |
| Arizona Health-e Connection (AzHeC) | Arizona | $240,000 |
| California Regional Extension Center (North) — CalHIPSO (North) | California | $336,000 |
| California Regional Extension Center (South) — CalHIPSO (South) | California | $180,000 |
| CentrEast Regional Extension Center | Texas | $384,000 |
| Colorado Regional Extension Center (CORHIO) | Colorado | $456,000 |
| Hawaii Health Information Exchange | Hawaii | $144,000 |
| Health Bridge Inc.* | Ohio Indiana Kentucky | $288,000 |
| Health Insight | Utah Nevada | $480,000 |
| HealthInfoNet | Maine | $264,000 |
| IFMC Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (Iowa HITREC) | Iowa | $1,044,000 |
| Illinois Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (IL-HITREC) | Illinois | $720,000 |
| IT Arkansas | Arkansas | $420,000 |
| Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. (KFMC) | Kansas | $1,140,000 |
| LCF Research | New Mexico | $204,000 |
| Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum | Louisiana | $768,000 |
| Massachusetts Technology Corporation | Massachusetts | $132,000 |
| Michigan Center for Effective IT Adoption (M-CEITA) | Michigan | $432,000 |
| Missouri HIT Assistance Center | Missouri | $660,000 |
| Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Foundation (MPQHF) | Montana Wyoming | $816,000 |
| National Indian Health Board (NIHB) | Serving the nationwide Indian Country, headquartered in the District of Columbia | $312,000 |
| New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) | New York | $120,000 |
| North Texas REC | Texas | $108,000 |
| O-HITEC | Oregon | $384,000 |
| Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP) | Ohio | $516,000 |
| Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality (OFMQ) | Oklahoma | $744,000 |
| Purdue University | Indiana | $396,000 |
| Qsource | Tennessee | $480,000 |
| Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, Inc. (East) | Pennsylvania | $180,000 |
| Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, Inc. (West) | Pennsylvania | $144,000 |
| Regional Extension Assistance Center for Health Information Technology (REACH) | Minnesota North Dakota | $1,488,000 |
| Regional Extension Center for Health Information Technology in Mississippi | Mississippi | $540,000 |
| Rural and North Florida Regional Extension Center | Florida | $168,000 |
| South Carolina Research Foundation | South Carolina | $156,000 |
| South Dakota Regional Extension Center | South Dakota | $576,000 |
| South Florida Regional Extension Center Collaborative | Florida | $36,000 |
| University of Kentucky Research Foundation | Kentucky | $360,000 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Texas | $612,000 |
| Vermont Information Technology Leaders | Vermont | $108,000 |
| VHQC (Virginia Health Quality Center) | Virginia | $84,000 |
| West Texas Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (WT-HITREC) | Texas | $912,000 |
| West Virginia Health Improvement | West Virginia | $204,000 |
| WI-REC** | Washington Idaho | $564,000 |
| Wide River Technology Extension Center | Nebraska | $120,000 |
| Wisconsin Health Information Technology Extension Center | Wisconsin | $828,000 |
| TOTAL ALL AWARDS | $19,848,000 |
*HealthBridge is the Regional Extension Center for select areas in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The CAH/rural hospital award to HealthBridge is for critical access and rural hospitals in these areas.
**WIREC is the Washington-Idaho Regional Extension Center which services providers in both Idaho and Washington. The CAH/rural hospital award to WIREC is for critical access and rural hospitals in Idaho and Washington.
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