HHS Reaches Exchange Milestone

As of this week, the Health and Services Department has awarded funds for building health information exchanges, the nervous system of an advanced health IT system, to every state and eligible territory. Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health information technology at HHS, said the occasion marked a "significant milestone" in attaining the seamless exchange of health information that is needed to improve patient care.

The awards, funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus), seek to advance the widespread meaningful use of health IT, including near universal use of electronic health records by 2014.

The most recent round of grants, to 16 states, brings to almost $550 million the total of health information exchange awards, "a significant step in bringing our health system into the 21st century," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.