Governor McDonnell Announces Virginia to Receive $24 Million in Federal Funding to Advance Health Information Technology

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

February 15, 2010

Contact: Stacey Johnson
Phone: (804) 225-4260
E-mail: Stacey.Johnson@Governor.Virginia.Gov

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that Virginia will receive a total of $24 million in federal funding to advance health information technology.

Virginia has been awarded $11.6 million over a four year period of time to advance health information exchange. The Governor's Health Information Technology Advisory Commission will lead the planning and implementation of this initiative under the leadership of Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Bill Hazel. To coordinate health IT initiatives across the Commonwealth, the Office of Health Information Technology has been established. The state will conclude its planning process in the fall and then begin to phase in implementation.

In addition, Virginia has been awarded $12.4 million over two years to help physicians acquire and adopt electronic health records for their practices. The Virginia Health Quality Center, in partnership with the Center for Innovative Technologies, will lead this effort to provide physicians with technology options and IT expertise. This initiative will also work in collaboration with the Medical Society of Virginia.

Speaking about Virginia's receipt health IT funding, McDonnell commented, "In today's global society, it is absolutely critical that we adopt practices that enable health information to be transmitted quickly and accessibly across the Commonwealth and state lines. The federal funding awarded to Virginia will allow us to develop an information technology system that will safeguard our ability to track health records and provide our physicians with the technological tools they need to provide the highest quality service possible. I thank U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius for approving Virginia's application for cooperative funding and also for advancing such a critical issue."

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