Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Welcome to THE Consortium Update!

You have been subscribed to receive weekly updates for THE Consortium. We will keep you apprised of the latest Consortium information and updates through this communication venue.

Federal Funding to Support Consortium Members!

On February 11th, the White House announced nearly $1 Billion in stimulus funding to support adoption and effective use of Health Information Technology (HIT). Colorado was awarded over $21 million in funding that includes $9.175 million for Health Information Exchange and $12.475 million for the Colorado Regional Extension Center. The Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) was awarded both the HIE and REC grants. However, multiple partners are included in the REC grant, including the Colorado Rural Health Center.

As a REC partner, CRHC will be working directly with CORHIO to assist rural clinics and Critical Access Hospitals with the assessment, roadmapping, implementation, and effective use stages to be able to reach meaningful use and access their own incentive funding.

Special thanks to all of you who wrote letters of support for the Colorado REC grant. As we learn more about how the grant will be executed and how the funding will support THE Consortium members, we will keep you apprised! If you have questions, please contact Cari Fouts at cf@coruralhealth.org

For the full press release, click below.
Sebelius, Solis Announce Nearly $1 Billion Recovery Act Investment in Advancing Use of Health IT, Training Workers for Health Jobs of the Future

Monday, February 15, 2010

Next Consortium Webinar Feb. 18th, 12-1pm: Diving Deep Into Meaningful Use: Meaningful or Meaningless?

Please join us for an in-depth meaningful use presentation and discussion where we will build off of the information presented during January’s Consortium Webinar: Interim Final Rule, Meaningful Use, and Incentive Funding. During the presentation we will look closely at the meaningful use criteria for receiving incentive payments and explore potentially problematic areas. There will also be essential open dialogue during this call to gather your input and concerns to inform the comments to be submitted to CMS regarding the meaningful use and incentive payment proposed rules.

Price:
• Consortium members and CCGC affiliates: Free (Please limit registration to one line per Consortium facility)
• Non-Members: $99 per line (Non-members will be invoiced after the Webinar)
To join the Consortium, please click here for more information, or contact Cari Fouts at cf@coruralhealth.org.

Click here to register.