Healthcare IT gets $1 billion in stimulus funds

NEW YORK Nearly $1 billion in economic stimulus money will go to help spur adoption of healthcare information technology, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday.

HHS is devoting more than $750 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants to build capacity and enable widespread “meaningful use” of healthcare IT, particularly electronic health records, by creating health information exchanges and regional extension centers designed to aid healthcare professionals. The Department of Labor is also putting money in, with $225 million in grants to train 15,000 people in healthcare IT-related job skills.

“Health information technology can make our healthcare system more efficient and improve the quality of care we all receive,” HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “These granta wards, the first of their kind, will help develop our electronic infrastructure and give doctors and other healthcare providers the support they need as they adopt this powerful technology.”