(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that the Washington State Health Care Authority has been awarded $11,300,000 to help the state and health care providers advance the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology through health information exchange (HIE) at the state level. This funding comes from over $750 million in Recovery Act health information technology grants awarded nationwide today by the Department of Health and Human Services.
“This investment in Washington state health information exchange will help doctors reduce waste, cut costs, and provide better care to their patients,” said Senator Patty Murray. “Health information technology will reduce health care costs by eliminating the need to repeat tests, and it will save lives by helping doctors reduce the number of medical errors.”
The announcements made today come from $19 billion included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment act to modernize health information technology systems across the country.
Of the $750 million in HHS grant awards announced today to help states and health care providers advance the adoption and meaningful use of health IT, $386 million will go to 40 states and qualified State Designated Entities (SDEs) to facilitate health information exchange (HIE) at the state level, while $375 million will go an initial 32 non-profit organizations to support the development of regional extension centers (RECs) that will aid health professionals as they work to implement and use health information technology – with additional REC awards to be announced for additional locations in the near future.
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