The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Program awarded nearly $8 million in grant funds to help health information organizations connect to the state's health information exchange.
Here are three things to know about the grants:
1. All four of Pennsylvania's HIOs received funding, including:
- ClinicalConnect Health Information Exchange, which received $1,030,000
- HealthShare Exchange, which received $3,320,000
- Keystone Health Information Exchange, which received $3,150,000
- Mount Nittany Exchange, which received $495,000
2. The HIOs will use their funds to connect 190-plus healthcare organizations, including hospitals, nursing homes and ambulatory practices, to the Pennsylvania Patient & Provider Network, which facilitates the exchange of healthcare information by connecting providers participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program with HIOs.
3. Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Program hope that connecting more organizations to the Pennsylvania Patient & Provider Network will improve care coordination for Medicaid patients.
"These grants assist providers in the efficient delivery of quality services to individuals across the commonwealth," Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller said in the department's statement. "As more providers participate, individuals will experience better coordination of care and a better quality of healthcare."