New York will distribute $60 million for projects that promote the use of health information technology in patient-centered medical homes.
The state's funding is expected to improve the coordination and management of healthcare by contributing to the transformation of today’s largely paper-based system to an electronic, interconnected healthcare system, Gov. David A. Paterson said when he announced the grants on April 9.
Funding for the grants is provided through the Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY), adopted in 2004 and implemented in 2006 to invest up to $1 billion to reform and reconfigure New York’s healthcare delivery system to improve patient care and increase operational efficiency.
New York has been a national leader in developing the necessary infrastructure and organization to support the adoption of interoperable electronic health records, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
The $60 million is not part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). However, the funding will make it possible for New York’s healthcare providers to better compete for approximately $19 billion in federal funding for health information technology when it starts to become available next year, Paterson said.
“New York State has invested more than $200 million in health information technology, which has created a statewide structure for physicians and providers to work together to create the best system to serve New Yorkers,” said Paterson. “This new round of funding for the state’s patient-centered medical homes will continue to position New York toward achieving our goal of greater accessibility for patients through primary and preventive care, while fostering job growth and business development in the health information technology sector.”
Through a competitive grant process, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) will invest in projects that continue the development and implementation of New York’s health information infrastructure and link it to medical practices that meet the definition of a patient-centered medical home.
Grant applications are due on June 15, 2009.
A patient-centered medical home encompasses the model of continuous, routine care by a personal physician concerning a patient’s illnesses or conditions – a major shift from the periodic, acute care from multiple physicians and short-term relationships with the medical profession that most Americans now experience.
“To be successful in our mobile society, patient health records must be portable, or interoperable,” said DOH Commissioner Richard F. Daines, MD. “Providers need access to this vital information to help their patients, and interoperability will improve the availability and use of health information to improve patient care.
HEAL NY is administered by the DOH and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). This new round of grants will build on the progress of the $105.75 million in grants awarded in March 2008 and $52.9 million awarded in May 2006 for health IT initiatives in New York.
