Los Angeles Group Nabs Stimulus Grant To Set Up Regional Health IT Hub
This week, HHS awarded the Los Angeles-based Local Initiative Health Authority a $15.6 million grant to help it develop and operate a regional health information technology extension center, Payers & Providers reports.
Funding for the grant comes from the 2009 federal economic stimulus package (Payers & Providers, 4/8).
Local Initiative Health Authority operates L.A. Care Health Plan. The not-for-profit organization offers health coverage for about 800,000 Los Angeles County residents enrolled in Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and other programs. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program and Healthy Families is the state's Children's Health Insurance Program (Office of the Governor release, 4/7).
Extension Center Details
Local Initiative Health Authority is among 60 agencies nationwide that have received a total of $640 million in stimulus funding to establish regional health IT extension centers (Payers & Providers, 4/8).
The extension centers aim to provide technical assistance to health care providers deploying electronic health record systems. Within the next two years, the program aims to provide technical support to 100,000 primary care physicians and hospitals nationwide (Office of the Governor release, 4/7).
CalOptima Left Out
HHS did not fulfill CalOptima's request for a grant to establish a regional health IT extension center in Orange County. CalOptima is Orange County's Medi-Cal managed care plan.
An official with the California Regional Extension Center said CalOptima had encountered problems with its grant application.
CalOptima CEO Richard Chambers in a statement said his organization is seeking further information from HHS and will appeal the decision (Payers & Providers, 4/8).
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