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By admin, on November 13th, 2011
Stakeholder Awareness of Beacon Program Services Surveyed by AcademyHealth, The Commonwealth Fund and ONC
To ensure that the information needs and values of key community leaders are better understood by the Beacon Communities, AcademyHealth, with support from The Commonwealth Fund and in collaboration with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), conducted a series of telephone interviews with select national and community stakeholders.
The 17 Beacon Communities are focusing on specific and measureable improvement goals in three areas that are central to delivery system reform and improvement — quality, efficiency, and population health — to demonstrate the ability of health IT to transform local health care systems.
Most national stakeholders—though not tracking specific activities within individual communities — were aware of the program’s purpose, its emphasis on quality, cost, and population health, and its focus on specific disease areas such as diabetes and asthma.
Nearly all expressed interest in receiving more information on the activities of the Beacon Program, including updates on the overall project, as well as highlights from the individual communities. Several suggested that a quarterly newsletter or report from ONC would be a convenient and effective mechanism for these updates.
As noted, one major challenge for the Beacon Communities is the relatively short timeframe for the implementation of their initiatives and recognition of their impact. The Beacons should proactively address the unmet demand for information regarding their efforts among their stakeholders, including:
• Discussing implementation obstacles and modifications designed to overcome initial challenges;
• Sharing preliminary impact data and related stories that provide a glimpse at future outcomes;
• Demonstrating the role of health IT in integrating care and improving efficiencies across providers and health systems;
• Working toward more rigorous analyses that provide valid measures of improvements in care; and
• Considering the most appropriate format and level of information that should be shared with specific audiences.
By admin, on September 15th, 2011
HHS awards Affordable Care Act funds to improve quality of care and electronic reporting capabilities in Beacon Communities
$8.5 million to fund 85 health centers in 15 Beacon Communities across the country
HHS awards Affordable Care Act funds to improve quality of care and electronic reporting capabilities in Beacon Communities; $8.5 million to fund 85 health centers in 15 Beacon Communities across the country (09/12/2011 press release)
| Organization |
City |
State |
Award Amount |
| AARON E. HENRY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER |
Clarksdale |
Mississippi |
$100,000.00 |
| ARKANSAS VERDIGRIS VALLEY HEALTH CENTERS, INC. |
Porter |
Oklahoma |
$100,000.00 |
| BLACKSTONE VALLEY COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE |
Pawtucket |
Rhode Island |
$100,000.00 |
| BORREGO COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION |
Borrego Springs |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| BOUNDARY REGIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER |
Bonners Ferry |
Idaho |
$100,000.00 |
| BUCKSPORT REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER |
Bucksport |
Maine |
$100,000.00 |
| BUTLER COUNTY COMMUNITY HEALTH CONSORTIUM, INC DBA PRIMARY HEALTH SOLUTIONS |
Middletown |
Ohio |
$100,000.00 |
| CABARRUS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, INC |
Concord |
North Carolina |
$99,941.00 |
| CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI CIVIC IMPROVEMENT |
Jackson |
Mississippi |
$100,000.00 |
| CENTRO DE SALUD DE LA COMUNIDAD SAN YSIDRO |
San Ysidro |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| CINCINNATI HEALTH NETWORK, INC. |
Cincinnati |
Ohio |
$100,000.00 |
| CLINICAS DE SALUD DEL PUEBLO, INC. |
Brawley |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| COLUMBIA BASIN HEALTH ASSOCIATION |
Othello |
Washington |
$100,000.00 |
| COLUMBIA VALLEY COMMUNITY HEALTH |
Wenatchee |
Washington |
$100,000.00 |
| COLVILLE CONFEDERATED TRIBES |
Inchelium |
Washington |
$100,000.00 |
| COMMUNITY ACTION COMMITTEE OF PIKE COUNTY |
Piketon |
Ohio |
$100,000.00 |
| COMMUNITY HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES CENTER |
Detroit |
Michigan |
$80,000.00 |
| COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF SPOKANE |
Spokane |
Washington |
$100,000.00 |
| COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OF BUFFALO, INC. |
Buffalo |
New York |
$100,000.00 |
| COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS , INC. |
Salt Lake City |
Utah |
$100,000.00 |
| COMMUNITY HEALTH CONNECTION, INC. |
Tulsa |
Oklahoma |
$100,000.00 |
| COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEMS, INC. |
Moreno Valley |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY ACTION, INC |
Cranston |
Rhode Island |
$100,000.00 |
| COVENANT COMMUNITY CARE INC. |
Detroit |
Michigan |
$100,000.00 |
| DELTA HEALTH CENTER, INC. |
Mound Bayou |
Mississippi |
$100,000.00 |
| DETROIT COMMUNITY HEALTH CONNECTION |
Detroit |
Michigan |
$100,000.00 |
| DETROIT HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS |
Detroit |
Michigan |
$100,000.00 |
| DIRNE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. |
Coeur D Alene |
Idaho |
$100,000.00 |
| DR. ARENIA C. MALLORY HLTH. CENTER, INC. |
Lexington |
Mississippi |
$100,000.00 |
| EAST BAY COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM |
Newport |
Rhode Island |
$100,000.00 |
| EXCELTH INC. |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
$100,000.00 |
| FAIRFAX MEDICAL FACILITIES, INC |
Fairfax |
Oklahoma |
$100,000.00 |
| FAMILY HEALTH CARE CLINIC, INC. |
Pearl |
Mississippi |
$100,000.00 |
| FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS |
Okanogan |
Washington |
$100,000.00 |
| FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS OF SAN DIEGO, INC. |
San Diego |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| FINGER LAKES MIGRANT HEALTH PROJECT |
Penn Yan |
New York |
$100,000.00 |
| G.A. CARMICHAEL FAMILY HEALTH CARE CLINIC |
Canton |
Mississippi |
$100,000.00 |
| HAMAKUA HEALTH CENTER |
Honokaa |
Hawaii |
$100,000.00 |
| HEALTH & HOSPITAL CORP OF MARION COUNTY |
Indianapolis |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| HEALTH ACCESS NETWORK, INC. |
Lincoln |
Maine |
$100,000.00 |
| HEALTHNET, INC. |
Indianapolis |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| HEALTHSOURCE OF OHIO, INC. |
Milford |
Ohio |
$100,000.00 |
| IMPERIAL BEACH COMMUNITY CLINIC |
Imperial Beach |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| INDIANA HEALTH CENTERS, INC. |
Indianapolis |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| JEFFERSON COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE CENTERS, INC. |
Avondale |
Louisiana |
$100,000.00 |
| KATAHDIN VALLEY HEALTH CENTER |
Patten |
Maine |
$100,000.00 |
| LA MAESTRA FAMILY CLINIC |
San Diego |
California |
$99,932.00 |
| LEWIS COUNTY PRIMARY CARE CENTER |
Vanceburg |
Kentucky |
$100,000.00 |
| MADISON CNTY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER |
Anderson |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| MORTON COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SERVICES |
Tulsa |
Oklahoma |
$100,000.00 |
| MOSES LAKE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER |
Moses Lake |
Washington |
$100,000.00 |
| MOUNTAIN FAMILY HEALTH CENTER |
Nederland |
Colorado |
$100,000.00 |
| MOUNTAIN HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES |
Alpine |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| N.E.W. HEALTH PROGRAMS |
Chewelah |
Washington |
$100,000.00 |
| NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CARE |
Cincinnati |
Ohio |
$100,000.00 |
| NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTHCARE |
Escondido |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
$100,000.00 |
| NORTH COUNTY HEALTH PROJECT, INC. |
San Marcos |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI HEALTH CARE, INC. |
Byhalia |
Mississippi |
$100,000.00 |
| NORTHWEST BUFFALO COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE CENTER, INC |
Buffalo |
New York |
$100,000.00 |
| NORTHWEST COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE |
Pascoag |
Rhode Island |
$100,000.00 |
| OAK ORCHARD COMMUNITY HLTH CNTER, INC |
Brockport |
New York |
$100,000.00 |
| OPEN DOOR HEALTH SERVICES, INC. |
Muncie |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| PENOBSCOT COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. |
Bangor |
Maine |
$100,000.00 |
| PURDUE UNIVERSITY |
West Lafayette |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| RAPHAEL HEALTH CENTER |
Indianapolis |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| SAN DIEGO FAMILY CARE |
San Diego |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| SEBASTICOOK FAMILY DOCTORS |
Newport |
Maine |
$100,000.00 |
| SHALOM HEALTH CARE CENTER, INC |
Indianapolis |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| ST. CHARLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. |
Luling |
Louisiana |
$99,090.00 |
| ST. THOMAS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
$100,000.00 |
| ST. VINCENT DE PAUL VILLAGE, INC |
San Diego |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| THE BAY CLINIC, INC. |
Hilo |
Hawaii |
$100,000.00 |
| THE HEALTHCARE CONNECTION, INC. |
Cincinnati |
Ohio |
$100,000.00 |
| THE PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY HLTH CENTERS, INC. |
Providence |
Rhode Island |
$100,000.00 |
| THUNDERMIST HEALTH CENTER |
Woonsocket |
Rhode Island |
$100,000.00 |
| TRI-TOWN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE |
Johnston |
Rhode Island |
$100,000.00 |
| UNCOMPAHGRE COMBINED CLINICS |
Norwood |
Colorado |
$97,381.00 |
| VISTA COMMUNITY CLINIC |
Vista |
California |
$100,000.00 |
| WASATCH HOMELESS HLTH CARE/4TH ST.CLINIC |
Salt Lake City |
Utah |
$99,830.00 |
| WEST HAWAII COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC |
Kailua Kona |
Hawaii |
$100,000.00 |
| WESTERN WAYNE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS |
Inkster |
Michigan |
$100,000.00 |
| WINDROSE HEALTH NETWORK, INC. |
Trafalgar |
Indiana |
$100,000.00 |
| WINTON HILLS MEDICAL & HEALTH CENTER, INC. |
Cincinnati |
Ohio |
$100,000.00 |
| WOOD RIVER HEALTH SERVICES INC. |
Hope Valley |
Rhode Island |
$100,000.00 |
|
|
|
$8,476,174.00 |
Today, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator, Dr. Mary Wakefield, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, announced awards of $8.5 million to 85 community health center programs, located in 15 of the 17 Beacon Communities throughout the United States. These funds, made available through HRSA under the Affordable Care Act, help support health centers with the adoption of health information technology (HIT) to support long-term improvements in quality of care, health outcomes and cost efficiencies.
Beacon Communities receive funds through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to build and strengthen their HIT infrastructure and exchange capabilities to improve care coordination, increase the quality of care, and slow the growth of health care spending. Today’s awards from HRSA are intended to enable existing health centers located in Beacon Communities to participate in community-wide health care improvement initiatives that include a strong information technology component. Recipients include health centers in cities across the country, from Cincinnati, Ohio and Detroit, Mich. to Spokane, Wash. and San Diego, Calif.
“Beacon Communities are about empowering doctors, nurses, patients, and community leaders to come together and use technology to make tangible differences in the lives of everyday Americans,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. “The health information technology they use is a vital tool in reaching and treating the vulnerable populations we serve, and the partnerships strengthened through these awards will strengthen health centers’ efforts to deliver comprehensive, high-quality primary health care.”
“These communities have already demonstrated their commitment to cutting edge health information technology,” said HHS National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Dr. Farzad Mostashari. “Today’s awards are an important step in giving these communities the resources they need to implement home-grown programs that work for them and that can be sustained for years to come.”
These awards are another part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to improve the quality of care, increase Americans’ access to information and empower them to become active participants in their health. Eligible applicants included existing Health Center Program grantees located within a Beacon Community Program service area. A list of health center Beacon community supplemental funding grantees by organization and state is available at www.hrsa.gov/about/news/2011tables/beaconawards.html.
For more information about the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the Beacon Community Program, please visit http://healthit.hhs.gov.
To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, visit www.healthcare.gov.
For more information about HRSA’s Community Health Center Program, visit http://bphc.hrsa.gov/about/index.html.
To find a health center in your area, visit http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.
The Health Resources and Services Administration is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA is the primary Federal agency responsible for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov.
By admin, on December 21st, 2010
Improving Health Through Health Information Technology
The Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program provides funding to 17 selected communities throughout the United States that have already made inroads in the development of secure, private, and accurate systems of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange. The Beacon Program will support these communities to build and strengthen their health information technology (health IT) infrastructure and exchange capabilities to improve care coordination, increase the quality of care, and slow the growth of health care spending.
The 17 Beacon Communities will focus on specific and measurable improvement goals in the three vital areas for health systems improvement: quality, cost-efficiency, and population health, to demonstrate the ability of health IT to transform local health care systems. The goals vary according to the needs and priorities of each community. For instance, some communities will focus in the care for chronic conditions such as asthma, heart failure, and diabetes to illustrate how costs can be reduced and patient care improved through the collection, analysis, and sharing of clinical data.
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Watch Tom Tsang, MD, Aaron McKethan, PhD, and Craig Brammer from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), and the Beacon Communities give an overview of the Beacon Community Program.
Beacon Communities
Listed below are the 17 Beacon Communities, their awards, and snapshot of their goals. To view further information about a specific Beacon Community, click the name of the community.
Beacon Community
|
Award Amount
|
Goal
|
| Bangor Beacon Community, Brewer, ME |
$12,749,740 |
Improve the health of patients with diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, and asthma by enhancing care management; improving access to, and use of, adult immunization data; preventing unnecessary ED visits and re-admissions to hospitals; and facilitating access to patient records using health information technology. |
| Beacon Community of the Inland Northwest, Spokane, WA |
$15,702,479 |
Increase care coordination for patients with diabetes in rural areas and expand the existing health information exchange to provide a higher level of connectivity throughout the region. |
| Central Indiana Beacon Community, Indianapolis, IN |
$16,008,431 |
Expand the country’s largest Health Information Exchange to new community providers in order to improve cholesterol and blood sugar control for diabetic patients and reduce preventable re-admissions through telemonitoring of high risk chronic disease patients after hospital discharge. |
| Colorado Beacon Community, Grand Junction, CO |
$11,878,279 |
Demonstrate how costs can be reduced and patient care improved, through the collection, analysis, and sharing of clinical data, and the redesign of primary care practices and clinics. |
| Crescent City Beacon Community, New Orleans, LA |
$13,525,434 |
Reduce racial health disparities and improve control of diabetes and smoking cessation rates by linking technically isolated health systems, providers, and hospitals; and empower patients by increasing their access to Personal Health Records. |
| Delta BLUES Beacon Community, Stoneville, MS |
$14,666,156 |
Improve access to care for diabetic patients through the meaningful use of electronic health records and health information exchange by primary care providers in the Mississippi Delta, and increase the efficiency of health care in the area by reducing excess health care costs for patients with diabetes through the use of electronic health record. |
| Greater Cincinnati Beacon Community, Cincinnati, OH |
$13,775,630 |
Develop new quality improvement and care coordination initiatives focusing on patients with pediatric asthma, adult diabetes, and encouraging smoking cessation, and provide better clinical information and IT “decision support” tools to physicians, health systems, federally qualified health centers, and critical access hospitals. |
| Greater Tulsa Health Access Network Beacon Community, Tulsa, OK |
$12,043,948 |
Leverage broad community partnerships with hospitals, providers, payers, and government agencies to expand a community-wide care coordination system, which will increase appropriate referrals for cancer screenings, decrease unnecessary specialist visits and (with telemedicine) increase access to care for patients with diabetes. |
| Hawaii County Beacon Community, Hilo, HI |
$16,091,390 |
Improve the health of the Hawaii Island residents through implementation of a series of healthcare system improvements and interventions across independent hospitals, physicians and physician groups. Engaging patients in their own healthcare is also a primary focus. |
| Keystone Beacon Community, Danville, PA |
$16,069,110 |
Establish community-wide care coordination through the expanded availability and use of health information technology for both clinicians and patients in a five-county area to enhance care for patients with pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure. |
| Rhode Island Beacon Community, Providence, RI |
$15,914,787 |
Improve the management of care through several health information technology initiatives to support Rhode Island’s transition to the Patient Centered Medical Home model, which create systems to measure and report processes and outcomes that drive improved quality, reduce health care costs, and improve health outcomes. |
| San Diego Beacon Community, San Diego, CA |
$15,275,115 |
Expand electronic health information exchange to enable providers to improve medical care decisions and overall care quality, to empower patients to engage in their own health management, and to reduce unnecessary and redundant testing. |
| Southeast Michigan Beacon Community, Detroit, MI |
$16,224,370 |
Make long-term, sustainable improvements in the quality and efficiency of diabetes care through leveraging existing and new technologies across health care settings, and providing practical support to help clinicians, nurses, and other health professionals make the best use of electronic health data. |
| Southeastern Minnesota Beacon Community, Rochester, MN |
$12,284,770 |
Enhance patient care management, reduce costs associated with hospitalization and emergency services for patients with diabetes and childhood asthma, and reduce health disparities for underserved populations and rural communities. |
| Southern Piedmont Beacon Community, Concord, NC |
$15,907,622 |
Increase use health information technology, including health information exchange among providers and increased patient access to health records to improve coordination of care, encourage patient involvement in their own medical care, and improve health outcomes while controlling cost. |
| Utah Beacon Community, Salt Lake City, UT |
$15,790,181 |
Improve the management and coordination of care for patients with diabetes and other life-threatening conditions, decrease unnecessary costs in the health care system, and improve public health. |
| Western New York Beacon Community, Buffalo, NY |
$16,092,485 |
Expand the Western New York network, close gaps in service, and improve health outcomes for patients with diabetes. |
By admin, on September 15th, 2010
Grants awarded to 27 Public Health Training Centers
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of $16.8 million to support 27 Public Health Training Centers (PHTC) at schools of public health and other public or non-profit institutions across the country. The PHTC Program helps improve the public health system by enhancing skills of the current and future public health workforce. Institutions accredited to provide graduate or specialized training in public health are eligible for funding. Most of the funding – $15.4 million – is made available by the Prevention and Public Health Fund included as part of the Affordable Care Act.
“Today’s awards represent a dramatic increase in support for Public Health Training Centers,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Investing in prevention and public health is the foundation for improving the health and well-being of all Americans.”
Funded organizations (1) plan, develop, operate and evaluate projects that support goals established by the Secretary in preventive medicine, health promotion and disease prevention; or (2) improve access to and quality of health services in medically underserved communities. Other PHTC activities include assessing the learning needs of the public health workforce; providing accessible training; and working with organizations to meet strategic planning, education, and resource needs.
“Whether facing public health emergencies such as natural disasters, or chronic conditions like obesity, a well-trained public health workforce is critical to ensuring the nation’s health and welfare,” said Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., administrator of HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the PHTC program.
Awards are listed below. For more information on HRSA’s health professions programs, visit http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/.
| Public Health Training Center Awards |
| Organization |
City |
State |
Total |
| Arizona Board of Regents |
Tucson |
Arizona |
$647,637.00 |
| The Regents of the University of California |
Berkeley |
California |
$649,819.00 |
| Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles |
Los Angeles |
California |
$650,000.00 |
| San Diego State University Research Foundation |
San Diego |
California |
$647,875.00 |
| University of Colorado Denver |
Aurora |
Colorado |
$649,497.00 |
| University of South Florida |
Tampa |
Florida |
$650,000.00 |
| The University of Georgia |
Athens |
Georgia |
$630,032.00 |
| Emory University |
Atlanta |
Georgia |
$650,000.00 |
| Indiana University |
Indianapolis |
Indiana |
$129,267.00 |
| University of Kentucky Research Foundation |
Lexington |
Kentucky |
$647,307.00 |
| Tulane University |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
$650,000.00 |
| Trustees of Boston University, Boston University Medical Campus |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
$649,977.00 |
| The Regents of the University of Michigan |
Ann Arbor |
Michigan |
$650,000.00 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Chapel Hill |
North Carolina |
$643,004.00 |
| Trustees of Dartmouth College |
Hanover |
New Hampshire |
$618,734.00 |
| University of Medicine and Dentistry of New York – School of Public Health |
New Brunswick |
New Jersey |
$647,654.00 |
| The Research Foundation of the State University of New York |
Albany |
New York |
$649,921.00 |
| The Ohio State University |
Columbus |
Ohio |
$650,000.00 |
| The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center |
Oklahoma City |
Oklahoma |
$649,750.00 |
| University of Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pennsylvania |
$649,994.00 |
| University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus |
San Juan |
Puerto Rico |
$650,000.00 |
| University of South Carolina |
Columbia |
South Carolina |
$650,000.00 |
| East Tennessee State University |
Johnson City |
Tennessee |
$650,000.00 |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston |
Houston |
Texas |
$649,801.00 |
| Eastern Virginia Medical School |
Norfolk |
Virginia |
$488,360.00 |
| University of Washington |
Seattle |
Washington |
$650,000.00 |
| Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System |
Madison |
Wisconsin |
$628,480.00 |
| TOTAL |
$16,777,109.00 |
By admin, on September 2nd, 2010
Beacon Community Program adds Cincinnati and Southeastern Michigan
The Greater Cincinnati HealthBridge, Inc., serving a 16-county area spanning three states, will work with its partners to build upon an advanced health information exchange to deploy new quality improvement and care coordination initiatives focusing on patients with pediatric asthma and adult diabetes. This program will use health IT tools and resources to provide streamlined and secure clinical information and decision support tools to physicians, health systems, federally qualified health centers, and critical access hospitals. The community collaboration will also provide patients and their families with timely access to data, knowledge, and tools to make more informed decisions and to manage their own health and health care. Healthbridge also is a health information exchange and regional extension center.
The Southeastern Michigan Health Association and its community partners will focus its efforts on preventing and better managing diabetes using health IT tools and resources. Specifically, this effort will focus on coordinating care across health care settings by improving the availability of patient information at the point of care, redesigning patient care work processes, and applying quality improvement and other change management strategies to improve the quality and efficiency of diabetes care in the greater Detroit area. The $16.2 million award will be used to create the Southeast Michigan Beacon Community Collaborative, which will leverage existing and additional technologies across health care settings to improve information sharing, continuity of care and improve the quality and safety of care for underserved patients with chronic diabetes in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, Mich. According to SEMBCC, diabetes has a very high prevalence among this target population, 12.8 percent of adults, or 93,000 people.
By admin, on August 30th, 2010
Beacon Communities Demonstrating Meaningful Use of Health IT
| Beacon Community Awardee |
Funding Amount |
Beacon Community Goals for Population Health in Service Area |
| Community Services Council of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla. |
$12,043,948 |
- Leverage broad community partnerships with hospitals, providers, payers, and government agencies to expand a community-wide care coordination system, which will increase appropriate referrals for cancer screenings, decrease unnecessary specialist visits and (with telemedicine) increase access to care for patients with diabetes
|
| Delta Health Alliance, Inc., Stoneville, Miss. |
$14,666,156 |
- Focus on achieving improvements for diabetic patients by electronically linking isolated systems and practices for care management, medication therapy management and patient education
|
| Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Brewer Maine |
$12,749,740 |
- Expand community connectivity, including long-term care, primary care and specialist providers, to existing Health Information Exchange and promote the use of telemedicine and patient self-management in order to improve care for elderly patients and individuals needing long-term or home care
|
| Geisinger Clinic, Danville, PA |
$16,069,110 |
- Enhance care for patients with pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure by creating a community-wide medical home, promoting Health Information Exchange and extending Geisinger’s proven model for practice redesign to independent healthcare organizations throughout region
|
| HealthInsight, Salt Lake City, Utah |
$15,790,181 |
- Improve Diabetes management performance measures by increasing availability, accuracy and transparency of quality reporting, leverage Intermountain Healthcare’s strategies to reduce health systems costs throughout the region, and improve public health reporting
|
| Indiana Health Information Exchange, INC., Indianapolis, Ind. |
$16,008,431 |
- Expand the country’s largest Health Information Exchange to new community providers in order to improve cholesterol and blood sugar control for diabetic patients and reduce preventable re-admissions through telemonitoring of high risk chronic disease patients after hospital discharge
|
| Inland Northwest Health Services, Spokane, Wash. |
$15,702,479 |
- Focus on increasing preventive services for diabetic patients in rural areas by extending Health Information Exchange and establishing anchor institutions in close proximity to remote clinics that will promulgate successes in health IT supported care coordination
|
| Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, La. |
$13,525,434 |
- Reduce racial health disparities and improve control of diabetes and smoking cessation rates by linking technically isolated health systems, providers, and hospitals; and empower patients by increasing their access to Personal Health Records
|
| Mayo Clinic Rochester, d/b/a Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn. |
$12,284,770 |
- Enhance patient management and, reduce costs costs associated with hospitalization and emergency services for patients with diabetes and childhood asthma and address reduce health disparities for underserved populations and rural communities
|
| Rhode Island Quality Institute, Providence, R.I. |
$15,914,787 |
- Improve the management of patients with diabetes through several health IT initiatives to support Rhode Island’s transition to the Patient Centered Medical Home model and adapt infrastructure proven to improve childhood immunizations in order to achieve improvements in adult immunization rates
|
| Rocky Mountain Health Maintenance Organization, Grand Junction, Colo. |
$11,878,279 |
- Enable robust collection of clinical data from health systems, providers, and hospitals in order to inform practice redesign to improve blood pressure control in patients with diabetes and hypertension, increase smoking cessation counseling, and reduce unnecessary emergency department utilization and hospital re-admissions
|
| Southern Piedmont Community Care Plan, Inc., Concord, N.C. |
$15,907,622 |
- Improve care coordination for patients with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and asthma by engaging patients and providers in bidirectional data sharing through a Health Record Bank, empowering patients and family members to participate in self-management through patient portals, and expanding access to care managers to facilitate post-discharge planning
|
| The Regents of the University of California, San Diego, San Diego, Calif. |
$15,275,115 |
- Expand pre-hospital emergency field care and electronic information transmission to improve outcomes for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, empower patients to engage in their own health management through web portal and cellular telephone technology, and improve continuity of care for veterans and military personnel through the Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record initiative
|
| University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii |
$16,091,390 |
- Implement a region-wide Health Information Exchange and Patient Health Record solution and utilize secure, internet-based care coordination and tele-monitoring tools to increase access to specialty care for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity in this rural, health-professional shortage area
|
| Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y. |
$16,092,485 |
- Utilize clinical decision support tools such as registries and point-of-care alerts and reminders and innovative telemedicine solutions to improve primary and specialty care for diabetic patients, decrease preventable emergency room visits, hospitalizations and re-admissions for patients with diabetes and congestive heart failure or pneumonia, and improve immunization rates among diabetic patients
|
More information about Beacon Communities can be found at: http://Healthit.hhs.gov/Programs/Beacon.
For information about other HHS Recovery Act programs, see http://www.hhs.gov/recovery
By admin, on August 16th, 2010
A grant program for communities to build and strengthen their health information technology (health IT) infrastructure and exchange capabilities. These communities will demonstrate the vision of a future where hospitals, clinicians, and patients are meaningful users of health IT, and together the community achieves measurable improvements in health care quality, safety, efficiency, and population health.
The Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program provides funding to communities to build and strengthen their health information technology (health IT) infrastructure and exchange capabilities. These communities will demonstrate the vision of a future where hospitals, clinicians, and patients are meaningful users of health IT, and together the community achieves measurable improvements in health care quality, safety, efficiency, and population health. The Program provides funding to communities at the cutting edge of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and health information exchange to push them to a new level of sustainable health care quality and efficiency. This program is anticipated to demonstrate how health IT can help providers and consumers develop innovative ways of delivering care leading to sustainable and measurable health and efficiency improvements. The program also will generate lessons learned on how other communities can achieve similar goals enabled by health IT. An additional $30.3 million is expected to be awarded in mid-August to fund two new Beacon Community cooperative agreements. Please see information about the funding opportunity announcement (FOA), which closed on June 28. In May 2010, ONC made awards in the form of cooperative agreements to the following 15 qualified non-profit organizations or government entities:
|
Beacon Community Awardee
|
Funding Amount
|
|
Community Services Council of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
|
$12,043,948
|
|
Delta Health Alliance, Inc., Stoneville, MS
|
$14,666,156
|
|
Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Brewer, ME
|
$12,749,740
|
|
Geisinger Clinic, Danville, PA
|
$16,069,110
|
|
HealthInsight, Salt Lake City, UT
|
$15,790,181
|
|
Indiana Health Information Exchange, INC., Indianapolis, IN
|
$16,008,431
|
|
Inland Northwest Health Services, Spokane, WA
|
$15,702,479
|
|
Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, LA
|
$13,525,434
|
|
Mayo Clinic Rochester, d/b/a Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN
|
$12,284,770
|
|
Rhode Island Quality Institute, Providence, RI
|
$15,914,787
|
|
Rocky Mountain Health Maintenance Organization, Grand Junction, CO
|
$11,878,279
|
|
Southern Piedmont Community Care Plan, Inc., Concord, NC
|
$15,907,622
|
|
The Regents of the University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA
|
$15,275,115
|
|
University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI
|
$16,091,390
|
|
Western New York Clinical Information Exchange, Inc., Buffalo, NY
|
$16,092,485
|
|
|
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