On Thursday, HHS awarded $18.46 million to eight California health care networks to help spur electronic health record adoption at health centers that serve low-income and uninsured residents, the San Francisco Business Times reports (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 6/3).
California's share of the funds is part of the $83.9 million that HHS awarded to 45 health center networks across the country (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 6/3).
The grants come from the $2 billion in federal economic stimulus funding allocated to HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration to help it expand health services for low-income and uninsured U.S. residents through its Health Center Controlled Networks program.
HCCNs are community-based coalitions of health care organizations that provide management, financial, technology and clinical support services to HRSA-funded health centers.
California Grants
The eight California organizations and their awards are:
- Association of Asian/Pacific Community Health Organizations in Oakland, $1 million;
- Alliance for Rural Community Health in Ukiah, $866,031;
- Clinicas Del Camino Real in Ventura, $3 million;
- Community Access HCCN in San Francisco, $2.5 million;
- Community Health Center Network in San Leandro, $3 million;
- Family Health Centers of San Diego, $3 million;
- Golden Valley Health Center in Merced, nearly $3 million; and
- Redwood Community Health Network in Petaluma, $2 million.
Officials said health care providers at the centers who demonstrate "meaningful use" of EHRs could be eligible for federal incentive payments through Medicaid and Medicare (San Francisco Business Times, 6/3).