[medinformatics] Rhode Island Received $5 Million Grant from AHRQ

[Healthcare Informatics News]

The state of Rhode Island has received a five-year grant for $5 million from the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to develop a statewide infrastructure for
healthcare information technology. From Healthcare IT World:


The grant is part of an AHRQ initiative, totaling $139 million in grant and contract funding, dedicated to
promoting health-IT usage. Rhode Island is one of five states that received funding to develop networks designed to
construct secure, statewide healthcare networks, allowing providers to exchange data. Other states awarded grants are
Colorado, Tennessee, Indiana, and Utah.

”This is a critical step for Rhode Island,” said Mike Zamore, policy advisor to state congressman Patrick Kennedy
(D). “There has long been a consensus that an information-sharing architecture [for healthcare data], allowing
different providers to transfer and share data through a common network and integrated portals, is needed.”

Now that Rhode Island’s AHRQ funding is secured, the state will develop its master patient index and health
information infrastructure in conjunction with the Rhode Island Quality Institute, a
concern comprised of state-based hospitals, providers, and insurers, among others.

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