PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Quality Institute has been awarded more than $11 million in federal stimulus grants to support the development of a statewide health information exchange and to set up an “extension center” to help providers with electronic medical records.
The funds, coming as two separate American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) health information technology grants, are expected to give a big boost to the institute’s efforts, which have been slowed by limited resources.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
“This is a smart investment that will help create jobs and allow hospitals and providers throughout the state to upgrade their technology systems and improve patient care while controlling costs and reducing medical errors,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., in a news release.
The institute is getting $5.28 million for the health information exchange project, named currentcare, which aims to connect health care providers across the state, with patients’ consent, to improve health outcomes, reduce medical errors and promote efficiency.
Launched with a $5 million federal grant five years ago, currentcare has already enrolled more than 37,000 people who have agreed to make their information available on the network. The pilot phase is expected to go live shortly, with test results from Lifespan, East Side Clinical Laboratory and R.I. Department of Health labs, plus medication histories provided by SureScripts, the nationwide pharmacy network.
The second grant, for $6 million, will allow the institute to create a health care information technology “extension center,” a sort of high-tech version of the agricultural services that universities offer to farmers.
The center will help doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to set up and integrate effective IT systems. Already, the institute has planted a seed by creating a peer support network, with a Web site, for doctors to support one another.
In announcing the grant, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said the new investment “puts Rhode Island squarely on a path to national leadership in reforming health care by improving quality and lowering cost.”
All four members of Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation – Reed, Whitehouse, and U.S. Reps. Patrick J. Kennedy and James R. Langevin, fellow Democrats – supported the institute’s application.
