HHS gives Blumenthal grant-making authority

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius gave formal authority to Dr. David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT, to administer grants and loans to promote the adoption of health information technology under ARRA. Much of the funding will support health IT technical assistance and training.

The action, published in the Aug. 18 Federal Register, formalizes work Blumenthal has been leading. It does not include authority to issue Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments to providers who qualify as meaningful users of electronic health records. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has that authority.

In the notice, authority is given to the national coordinator to administer grants for, among other things:

· Invest in infrastructure to support the nationwide exchange of health information, including architecture, training and dissemination of best practices;

· Assist health care providers to adopt electronic health records through regional extension centers and research center; and

· Provide state grants to promote health IT and grants to states and Indian tribes to develop loan programs for electronic health records.

Blumenthal said in remarks before the Medicaid Management Information Systems conference this week that he hoped in the “near future” to announce programs involving $300 million Congress set aside in the health IT stimulus  legislation for states to expand heath information exchange.