OpportunityTitle: Rural Health Information Technology Network Development (RHITND) Program
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Applicants for the RHITND program must meet at least one of the three requirements stated below.  (Note:  An RHITND grant award will be made to only one member of the network that will be the grantee of record and only that organization needs to meet the eligibility criteria):  (1) The lead applicant organization must be located in a rural area or in a rural census tract of an urban county, and all services must be provided in a rural county or census tract.  To ascertain rural eligibility, please refer to:  http://datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/RuralAdvisor/ and enter the applicant organization&#146;s state and county.  A network serving rural communities but whose applicant organization is not in a designated rural area will not be considered for funding under this announcement; OR  (2) The applicant organization exists exclusively to provide services to migrant and seasonal farm workers in rural areas and is supported under Section 330G of the Public Health Service Act (documentation of status as a Section 330G Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers organization must be uploaded as Attachment 8).  These organizations are eligible regardless of the urban or rural location of the administrative headquarters; OR   (3) The applicant is a Tribal government whose grant-funded activities will be conducted within their Federally-recognized Tribal area (documentation from the federal register should be uploaded as Attachment 7).    In addition to the 50 states, applicants may be located in the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territories of the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Compact Free Association Jurisdictions of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.  If applicants are located outside the 50 states, they still have to meet the rural eligibility requirements.
Description: The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, authorized incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to clinicians and hospitals when they use electronic health records (EHR) privately and securely to achieve specified improvements in care delivery. HITECH&apos;s goal is not solely the adoption of EHR but &quot;meaningful use&quot; of EHRs; the use by providers to acheive significant improvements in care. The primary purpose of the Rural Health Health Information Technology Network Program is to support rural organizations in their ability to effectively achieve &quot;meaningful use&quot; requirements. The Rural Health Information Technology Network Program is authorized under Section 330A (f) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The purpose of the program is to expand access to, coordinate and improve the quality of essential health care services, and enhance the delivery of health care in rural areas. The program will support rural providers who work in formal networks, alliances, coalitions or partnerships in their effort to effectively acheive &quot;meaningful use&quot; requirements. Funds provided through this program are not used for direct delivery of services. Upon completion of the grant program, a network should have completed a thorough strategic planning process, business planning process, and have a sounds strategy in place for sustaining its operations. Some anticipated outcomes of supporting the development of rural health networks include: achieving economies of scale and cost efficiencies; increasing the financial viability of the network, enhancing professional development; enhancing workforce recruitment and retention; sharing staff and expertise across network members; enhancing the continuum of care; ensuring continuous quality improvement of the care provided by network members. It is anticipated that this will be a one-time funding opportunity to assist networks in attaining meaningful use standards for electronic health records and other HIT activities that will support the achievement of meaningful use. Some activities that can be supported by grant funds are as follows: workforce analysis; EHR strategic plan development; EHR training; purchase of HIT equipment; identify and locate certified HIT equipment vendors; and installation of broadband. Networks should have a history of organizational collaboration and must have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) prior to applying to this program. The Rural Health Information Technology Program supports HRSA&apos;s goals of improving access and quality of health care, improving health outcomes, and improving public health and health care systems. The Program also supports HHS goals to improve the quality, affordability, and accessibility of health care and to promote the economic and social well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Please refer to http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/ or http://healthit.hhs.gov/standardsandcertification for more information regarding meaningful use and certification criteria.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Contact HRSA Call Center at 877-Go4-HRSA/877-464-4772;301-998-7373 or email
GrantorContactText: CallCenter@HRSA.GOV&lt;br/&gt;CallCenter@HRSA.GOV&lt;br/&gt;