Federal Funding to Support HIT in Colorado!

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 rural facilities, we will keep you apprised! If you have questions, please contact Cari Fouts at cf@coruralhealth.org .