$139m in grants to state agencies for health information technology

Federal Health Information Technology (HIT) initiatives will deliver $139m to 38 states over the next four years, according to Input, a government market analyst. One hundred grants will be made to push agencies forward on health care information automation and sharing.

In their press release, Input said that state governments will participate in HIT and the Dept. of Health and Human Services' Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) by:

1. Establishing the framework and architecture for NHIN operations
2. Imposing policies for public health departments to utilize NHIN for surveillance and reporting
3. Appointing representatives to be on a national board of governors to oversee the network
4. Setting local implementation and auditing requirements
5. Measuring and reporting particular types of information at the state level
6. Providing incentives for NHIN participation or conferring other benefits

"Successful completion of the HIT agenda requires collaboration among federal, state, and private sector stakeholders," said Jennifer Geurin, a senior analyst at the firm. "As HIT becomes increasingly more important to improving America's health care system, we expect funding for these initiatives to continue to grow in both the short- and long-term."