HHS Announces $30 Million in HIT Funds to Cincinnati, Detroit

Physicians and other providers will receive more timely and accurate information about when their patients experience a medical complication or are hospitalized. Also, they will have new support from care managers to use this information effectively to intervene early and assist patients in managing their health and avoiding further complications.

The HealthBridge program also is aiming to provide better clinical information and IT "decision support" tools for physicians, health systems, federally qualified health centers, and critical access hospitals. As part of the Beacon program, this health IT community collaboration also will also provide patients and their families with timely access to data and tools to make informed decisions and manage their own healthcare.

The Southeastern Michigan Health Association, which was awarded $16.2 million over three years, will use health IT tools and strategies with its partners to prevent—and better manage diabetes—which impacts a large percentage of residents in the Detroit area.

This community collaboration will be leveraging existing and new technologies across healthcare settings to improve the availability of patient information at the point of care—regardless of where the patient is in the health system. The community also will provide practical support to physician practices to help clinicians, nurses, and others make the best use of electronic health data.

The city’s clinical community will have the ability to track clinical outcomes with the goal of making long?term, sustainable improvements in the quality and efficiency of diabetes care in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Dearborn, and Dearborn Heights.

The Beacon program is one of several new programs created by the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act as part of the Recovery Act last year.