The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) and the Michigan Department of Information Technology (MDIT) a $14.9 million grant to encourage the expansion and success of health information technology (HIT) in Michigan.
The funds, provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will be used to create the first statewide HIT network and increase the state’s use of HIT. The state’s goal is to increase the accessibility to individual patient records and healthcare information.
To reach these goals, the state will use the grant to implement the technological infrastructure to coordinate local and regional health information exchanges, health systems, state of Michigan systems, and integrated delivery networks. Once the system is in place, healthcare providers will be able to effectively communicate and share information, increasing healthcare quality and patient safety while reducing healthcare costs.
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