Regional Extension Centers

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 Table Of Content:  

1. Regional Extension Centers ARRA
2. Regional Extension Centers Grants
3. Regional Extension Centers ARRA Funding: Year One - Two
4. Regional Extension Centers - Health IT
   
5. Request Free Live Web Demo!

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Regional Extension Centers ARRA

The HITECH Act authorizes a Health Information Technology Extension Program. The extension program consists of Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (REC) and a national Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC). The RECs offer technical assistance, guidance, training, support services and information to support and accelerate health care providers efforts to become "meaningful users" of Electronic Health Records (EHR).

The REC are designed to ensure that primary care clinicians who need help are provided with an array of on-the-ground support to meaningfully use electronic health records (EHR). Providing training and support services, the REC will assist doctors and other providers in the adoption and meaningful use of EHR systems. The REC program has coverage in virtually every geographic region of the United States, which ensures sufficient community-based support. The goal of the program is to provide outreach and support services to at least 100,000 priority primary care providers within two years. The extension program will establish an estimated 70 (or more) regional centers, each serving a defined geographic area. The regional centers will support at least 100,000 primary care providers, through participating non-profit organizations, in achieving meaningful use of EHRs and enabling nationwide health information exchange.

The Extension Program will also establish a HITRC, funded separately, to gather relevant information on effective practices and help the regional centers collaborate with one another and with relevant stakeholders to identify and share best practices in EHR adoption, effective use, and provider support.

 

Regional Extension Centers Awards

 

On behalf of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to support the Regional Extension Centers (REC) funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded competitive task orders for Support, Training, Marketing and Outreach in Region Extension Centers (REC) for the Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC)

AWARD

Date	Amount	Description
March 31, 2010	$ 3,288,743	Support for Marketing and Outreach in Region Extension Centers (REC)
March 31, 2010	$ 3,606,822	To support Regional Extension Centers(REC) with planning, implementation and maintenance of Practice Transformation model system in various primary care settings
March 32, 2010	$9,198,119	For planning, implementation and maintenance of training program to support Regional Extension Centers(REC)

 

1. Awardee - The Lewin Group, Inc., 3130 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 800, Falls Church, Virginia 22042, United States
2. Awardee -  RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Road, PO Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2194
3. Awardee - Booz Allen Hamilton, 1101 Wooton Parkway, 8th Floor, Rockville, Maryland 20852

 

$267 Million Awarded to Regional Extension Centers (REC).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on April 6th, that more than $267 million has been awarded to 28 additional non-profit organizations to establish Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (REC).
Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center Awardees.

 

 

Awardees	Area of Responsibility	Federal Share
Alaska eHealth Network, Anchorage, Alaska	AK	$3,632,357
University of South Alabama, Mobile, Ala.	AL	$7,519,969
Arizona Health-e Connection, Phoenix, Ariz.	AZ	$10,791,644
Local Initiative Health Authority for Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, Calif.	CA	$15,625,910
eHealthConnecticut, Inc., Rocky Hill, Conn.	CT	$5,749,309
Quality Insights of Delaware, Inc., Wilmington, Del.	DE	$5,859,716
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla.	FL	$7,669,328
Community Health Centers Alliance, Inc, St. Petersburg, Fla.	FL	$10,982,866
University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla.	FL	$5,884,132
Hawaii Health Information Exchange, Honolulu, Hawaii	HI, Pacific Territories	$5,859,716
University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, Ky.	KY	$6,005,467
Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum, Baton Rouge, La.	LA	$6,207,802
HealthInfoNet, Manchester, Maine	ME	$4,777,483
Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients, Baltimore, Md.	MD	$5,535,423
eQHealth Solutions, Inc , Baton Rouge, La.	MS	$4,289,613
The Curators of the University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.	MO	$6,836,335
Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Foundation, Helena, Mont.	MT,WY	$5,020,754
New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.	NJ	$23,048,351
Quality Insights of Pennsylvania Inc. (Eastern), King of Prussia, Pa.	PA	$28,810,271
Quality Insights of Pennsylvania Inc. (Western), King of Prussia, Pa.	PA	$15,625,910
Ponce School of Medicine, Puerto Rico	PR,VI	$19,280,796
South Carolina Research Foundation, Columbia, S.C.	SC	$5,581,407
Dakota State University, Madison, S.D.	SD	$5,687,168
The TAMUS Health Science Center Research Foundation. College Station, Texas	TX	$5,279,970
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas	TX	$15,274,327
Dallas- Fort Worth Hospital Council Education and Research Foundation, Irving, Texas	TX	$8,488,513
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Lubbock, Texas	TX	$6,666,296
National Indian Health Board, District of Columbia	US	$15,625,910
Total		$267,616,743

 

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 Table Of Content:  

1. Regional Extension Centers ARRA
2. Regional Extension Centers Grants
3. Regional Extension Centers ARRA Funding: Year One - Two
4. Regional Extension Centers - Health IT
   
5. Request Free Live Web Demo!

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REGIONAL EXTENSION CENTER GRANTS

Funding Opportunity Title: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Health Information Technology

Extension Program: Regional Centers

Key Dates and Submission Information: The application, selection and funding process are outlined in the table below. Only existing Regional Extension Center (REC) awardees and REC applicants who were successful in their pre-applications due December 22nd, 2009, and were invited to submit a full application will be eligible for this limited competition. Interested RECs and eligible REC applicants will be required to submit an application by April 30th, 2010.

Number CAHs and Rural Hospitals in Nation	Supplemental Funding Available (for 2 Yrs)	Participation Due	Award Date
2,073 Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and Rural Hospitals with less than 50 beds	Approx. $25 Million (2,073 hospitals * $12,000/-)	April 30, 2010	June 15, 2010

 

Funding Opportunity:

Background and Purpose:
CAHs and Rural Hospitals are vital components of the rural health care system in the United States. These hospitals are included on the priority list for the Regional Extension Centers (RECs). ONC recognizes the unique needs of these hospitals and is funding this project as a supplement to the REC funding (Funding Opportunity Number: EP-HIT-09-003). The intent of the CAH/Rural Hospital Project is to provide additional support for staffing and expertise to assist rural CAHs and Rural Hospitals with less than 50 beds in selecting and implementing meaningful electronic health record (EHR) systems. These additional staff will work in coordination with other REC staff that will be supporting the primary care providers in the REC Service Areas.

The purpose of this supplemental funding is to ensure the provision of services to Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and Rural Hospitals already defined within the scope of the cooperative agreements funded under FOA No. EP-HIT-09-003.

Scope of Service:
Each applicant has developed a plan for supporting priority primary care providers in their service area to achieve meaningful use of an EHR system as part of their original application. Each REC will plan and implement the outreach, education, and technical assistance programs necessary to meet the objective of assisting CAHs and Rural Hospitals with less than 50 beds in its geographic service area to improve the quality and value of care. RECs are expected to work with both CAHs and Rural Hospitals who have not yet adopted EHR systems, and those with existing EHR systems, to assist them in achieving meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
The milestones for this work will be the same as those identified in the original REC FOA(Funding Opportunity Number: EP-HIT-09-003)

Selected RECs will modify their operating plan to include specific plans for the CAH and Rural Hospital projects and will report their activities through the quarterly reporting process
Subject to the limitations of eligible applicants described below in Section III, there are two types of CAHs and Rural Hospital organizations that are eligible for support through this application:

(1) Acute care hospitals (as defined in the SSA Section 1886(d)) with 50 or fewer beds located in a rural area and
(2) Critical access hospital as defined in the SSA Section 1820(c) of the Social Security Act.

 

Summary of Funding: Type of Award	Expansion Supplement
Total Amount of Funding Available in FY2010	$ 24,876,000
Award Floor	$ 50,000
Award Ceiling	$ 1,600,000
Approximate Number of Awards	70
Project Period Length	2 Years
Estimated Start Date	June 15, 2010

It is anticipated that each REC will need an additional $12,000 per CAH and Rural Hospital that it supports through this program. The supplemental funds will be used to ensure the delivery of the support services for CAH and Rural Hospitals and will be tied to the same milestones that are identified in the original REC FOA (EP-HIT-09-003).

As with other funding milestones identified in the original FOA, recipients will be required to use the customer relationship management tool to help in meeting the milestones associated with this project.

Regional Extension Centers Announcements

Three application cycles

1. Applicants will submit a preliminary application 

2. Successful preliminary applicants will be requested to submit a full application

3. Successful applications will result in award of four-year cooperative agreements.

 

 

First Cycle of Four Year Awards

It is anticipated that the first cycle of awards will result in four-year cooperative agreements with at least one successful applicant furnishing services within each of the ten HHS/CMS Regions

For the second and third award cycles, the HITRC and recipients from the first cycle will provide educational resources, technical assistance, and networking opportunities to support successful applications for Regional Centers in new geographic service areas.

Each cooperative agreement will consist of a four-year project period with two separate two-year budget periods.

10 - Health & Human Services Regions

Each Regional Center is expected to plan & implement

• Outreach
• Education
• Technical assistance

On-site technical assistance in their geographical areas is the major activity performed by the REC. This would help the REC to attain or exceed the "Meaningful Criteria"

Services rendered to Providers:

1. To educate and outreach to providers so as to attain & perform beyond the "meaningful use" criteria
2. Asses the IT healthcare needs of the providers and help them select and negotiate contracts with vendors or resellers of EHR system
3. To provide end to end Project management support for the EHR implementation process
4. Help providers to exchange information
5. To provide privacy & security to personal health information available with the providers
6. Promote healthcare IT by partnering with local resources, community colleges

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 Table Of Content:  

1. Regional Extension Centers ARRA
2. Regional Extension Centers Grants
3. Regional Extension Centers ARRA Funding: Year One - Two
4. Regional Extension Centers - Health IT
   
5. Request Free Live Web Demo!

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FUNDING: Years One - Two

For Core Support
Average award value between $500,000 and $750,000 per Center per year for:

• Outreach and educational activities
• Program management
• Local workforce support
• Peer-learning and knowledge transfer activities

For Direct Assistance Support

• $500 million allocated among successful applicants in proportion to the numbers of priority primary-care providers receiving direct technical assistance

 

FUNDING: Years Three - Four

From the outset of the four-year project period the recipient must implement, a plan to build a direct technical assistance infrastructure that will become self sustaining by the end of the cooperative agreement's second year.

It is expected that the direct technical assistance functions of the Regional Centers will be entirely self sustaining for providers eligible to receive health IT meaningful use incentive payments for 2011 and following years

Cost Sharing

HHS is waiving the 50 percent limitation on matching funding for annual capital and operating and maintenance funds needed to establish a Regional
Center

HHS projects that Centers will be receiving fees for their services and support and that this income will be a source of the recipients' funding share

  

Full Application Content Requirements

• DUNS Number
• Project Abstract
• Project Narrative
• Sustainability Plan
• Collaborations and Letters with commitment from key participating Organization and Agencies
• Budget Detail

 

 Review Criteria for Preliminary Application - 100 Points

 

 

 

Review Criteria for Full Application - 100 Points

 

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 Table Of Content:  

1. Regional Extension Centers ARRA
2. Regional Extension Centers Grants
3. Regional Extension Centers ARRA Funding: Year One - Two
4. Regional Extension Centers - Health IT
   
5. Request Free Live Web Demo!

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REGIONAL EXTENSION CENTER - HEALTH IT

Health information technology (health IT) allows comprehensive management of medical information and its secure exchange between health care consumers and providers. Broad use of HIT has the potential to improve health care quality, prevent medical errors, increase the efficiency of care provision and reduce unnecessary health care costs, increase administrative efficiencies, decrease paperwork, expand access to affordable care, and improve population health.

Interoperable health IT can improve individual patient care in numerous ways, including:

• Complete, accurate, and searchable health information, available at the point of diagnosis and care, allowing for more informed decision making to enhance the quality and reliability of health care delivery.
• More efficient and convenient delivery of care, without having to wait for the exchange of records or paperwork and without requiring unnecessary or repetitive tests or procedures.
• Earlier diagnosis and characterization of disease, with the potential to thereby improve outcomes and reduce costs.
• Reductions in adverse events through an improved understanding of each patient's particular medical history, potential for drug-drug interactions, or (eventually) enhanced understanding of a patient's metabolism or even genetic profile and likelihood of a positive or potentially harmful response to a course of treatment.
• Increased efficiencies related to administrative tasks, allowing for more interaction with and transfer of information to patients, caregivers, and clinical care coordinators, and monitoring of patient care.

The HITECH Act authorizes a Health Information Technology Extension Program. The extension program consists of Regional Extension Centers and a national Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC). This funding opportunity announcement seeks applications from qualified entities to serve as regional centers within the extension program.

The regional centers will offer technical assistance, guidance, and information on best practices to support and accelerate health care providers’ efforts to become meaningful users of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The regional centers will support primary care providers, through participating non-profit organizations, in achieving meaningful use of EHRs and enabling nationwide health information exchange.

The Extension Program will also establish a HITRC, funded separately, to gather relevant information on effective practices and help the regional centers collaborate with one another and with relevant stakeholders to identify and share best practices in EHR adoption, effective use, and provider support.