The Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership Authority has released nearly $500,000 in grant funding to five home health agencies to improve healthcare outcomes through the secure exchange of electronic health information (eHIE).
The following organizations received awards:
- At Peace Heath Care Agency LLC, $33,402, Philadelphia County
- Immediate Homecare and Hospice, $59,205, Bucks County
- Punxsutawney Area Hospital, $167,718, Jefferson County
- VNA Health System, $178,250, Northumberland County
- VNA of Indiana County, $100,900, Indiana County
"When a home health caregiver has access to a patient's medical records through an electronic health record (EHR), it means they have the right information at the right time to provide the best care for their client," the Authority's executive director, Alexandra Goss, said in a statement. "These capacity building grants in the home health sector bring us a step closer to making the full electronic exchange of health information a reality in Pennsylvania and helps us give healthcare a 21st century upgrade."
The grant requires the recipients to exchange health information using DIRECT, a secure e-mail exchange between two providers, or by linking to one the health information organizations (HIOs) in the state.
Qualified grants were awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding for the grants was made possible through a $17.1 million federal grant administered by the Authority to help establish HIE in Pennsylvania.
