The Health Information Technology for Economical and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which was part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA), included funding for many health information technology-related programs. Several entities in Arkansas received funding and these programs are working together to increase the utilization and impact of health information technology in Arkansas.
Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care/HIT Arkansas
HITArkansas, a division of the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC), was established in February 2010 as the federally designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) for the state of Arkansas.
HITArkansas is assisting physicians in adopting and utilizing electronic health records (EHRs) in their day-to-day practices by providing training, support, technical assistance, outreach, and collaboration. HITArkansas will also assist physicians in achieving meaningful use of those EHRs.
Medicaid
Arkansas Medicaid will administer the Physician Incentive Payment program for those health care providers that adopt EHRs and meet meaningful use requirements. Medicaid is also working closely with the Office of Health Information Technology to develop a new Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS), which will use many of the same services as SHARE, such as a Master Provider Index and Master Patient Index. This will allow Medicaid to process and pay Medicaid claims and incentive payments and better coordinate and utilize patient care information.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
UAMS received $102 million in funding from the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP). BTOP supports the expansion of broadband in unserved and underserved areas and works to encourage the adoption of broadband. UAMS will use this funding to increase broadband capacities and equipment at 474 health care, higher education, public safety, and research entities in Arkansas.
Connect Arkansas
Connect Arkansas was established in 2007 to implement community-based efforts to promote internet access and education. Connect has received funding from the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP). Connect has used this funding to use broadband data to develop a series of maps showing broadband and internet availability in the state. Connect is also using BTOP funding to increase the use of high-speed internet by improving broadband education, providing computers to children in low-income families, and partnering with the UAMS to improve telehealth training and delivery.
National Park Community College (NPCC)
NPCC is a participant in a regional consortium of 20 community colleges that will be training new health IT professionals. This Pitt Community College led consortium, received a $10.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the first year, to establish or expand medical health informatics education programs to ensure the rapid and effective utilization and development of health information technologies infrastructure and widespread and meaningful use of electronic health records.
NPCC received approximately $1 million for the development of an online, 6 month certificate program where prospective students with a health care or IT background can select from the following roles:
- Clinician/practitioner consultants
- Practice Workflow and information management redesign specialists
- Trainer