In order to help more rural healthcare providers adopt electronic health records according to the government's meaningful use rules, the Health Resources and Services Administration recently announced that it will make millions of dollars in grants available to support the transition to technology in underserved areas.
The organization will administer $12 million in grants to rural healthcare providers over the course of the next 3 years to help make the transition easier. The grants may be put towards developing a strategic plan for using electronic health records, analyzing technology's impact on workflow or purchasing and installing systems.
The statement announcing grant funding said that providing support for the adoption of electronic health records in rural areas could lead to tremendous improvements in the delivery of care and essential health services.
While encouraging adoption of electronic health records is a major goal of the program, the statement stressed that ensuring that rural providers are meaningful users is a top priority. It is expected that transitioning to electronic health records according to these standards could lead to significant improvements in quality and efficiency.