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For Immediate Release
L.A. Care Grants Over $500,000 to Support Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology
Media Contact
Marissa Jimenez
213.694.1250, ext. 4389
mjimenez@lacare.org
Twitter: @lacarehealth
LinkedIn Facebook
Date:
August 10, 2010
For Immediate Release
Five L.A. County Community Clinics to Implement Electronic Health Record Systems To Improve Patient Care and Health Outcomes
LOS ANGELES – L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest public health plan, announced today that the Board of Governors approved $529,000 to support five Los Angeles County community clinics’ Health Information Technology (HIT) projects. These grants are part of L.A. Care’s HIT Initiative, which is designed to help community clinics purchase and implement electronic health records (EHR) and interface technology, as well as help community clinics become meaningful users of EHR and qualify for federal HIT incentives. The HIT projects are expected to take up to 24 months to complete.
Grantees of L.A. Care’s HIT Initiative were selected through a competitive process and include:
1. Asian Pacific Health Care Venture (Los Angeles) - $115,000
2. Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles (Bell Gardens) - $115,000
3. Northeast Valley Health Corporation (San Fernando) - $100,000
4. St. John’s Well Child and Family Center (South Los Angeles)- $99,000
5. Venice Family Clinic (Venice)- $100,000
“Electronic Health Records improve the quality of care through better coordination and reduce duplication and unnecessary tests,” says Dr. Elaine Batchlor, Chief Medical Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan. “These grants will help community clinics purchase the new software and technology that are becoming so important in healthcare.”
L.A. Care seeks to use its HIT Initiative to supplement the funding opportunities provided to L.A. County healthcare providers through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA funding will help defray the cost of purchasing an EHR system which can run up to $40,000 per provider, but it is not intended to cover the full cost. L.A. Care HIT funds will help with closing that funding gap.
The grantees will receive technical assistance services offered through HITEC-LA, the exclusive, federally-designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center for Los Angeles County, charged with helping doctors and primary care providers implement and use EHR in a meaningful way. HITEC-LA is a project of L.A. Care Health Plan.
“Implementing EHR systems is challenging for many community clinics because of barriers such as limited capital for upfront investment, staff time required for the implementation and needed organizational changes,” says Roland Palencia, Community Benefits Director of L.A. Care Health Plan. “L.A. Care’s HIT Initiative will help eliminate these barriers by providing funds to cover software, hardware, staff training, and work flow redesign.”
To date, L.A. Care Health Plan has funded 27 HIT Initiative projects totaling nearly $3.8 million through L.A. Care’s Community Health Investment Fund (CHIF). Since 2001, L.A. Care has provided over $100 million in grants and support to strengthen the safety net, improve community and public health and expand health insurance coverage. For more information about L.A. Care’s CHIF program, please visit http://www.lacare.org/aboutlacare/grantmaking.
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About L.A. Care
L.A. Care Health Plan (Local Initiative Health Authority of Los Angeles County) is a public entity and community-accountable health plan serving residents of Los Angeles County through a variety of programs including Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, L.A. Care’s Healthy Kids, and L.A. Care Health Plan Medicare Advantage HMO. L.A. Care is a leader in developing new programs through innovative partnerships designed to provide health coverage to vulnerable populations and to support the safety net. With over 800,000 members, L.A. Care is the nation’s largest public health plan.
About HITEC-LA
HITEC-LA is the exclusive federally-designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) for Los Angeles County, charged with helping doctors and primary care providers, purchase, implement and use electronic health records in a meaningful way. HITEC-LA will help providers assess their technology needs, as well as offering education, training, and on-site technical assistance. A project of L.A. Care Health Plan,HITEC-LA is funded in large part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health Services. For more information, visit www.hitec-la.org.
