Morehouse School of Medicine Receives $19.5 Million Recovery Act Award

Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is the recipient of a $19.5 million Recovery Act grant to help health care providers advance the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (IT). The grant is part of a nearly $1 billion federal investment to help grow the emerging health IT industry and train workers for the health care jobs of the future.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis recently announced the awards. The intent of the grant is to increase accuracy for medical recordkeeping and reduce errors resulting in cost-savings.  

MSM will serve as a regional extension center for all of Georgia and will provide outreach and support services to at least 1,600 primary care providers within the first two years of the cooperative agreement.

“The NationalCenter for Primary Care (NCPC) of Morehouse School of Medicine will work with priority primary care providers to implement the ‘meaningful use’ of electronic health record systems in their practices,” said Dominic Mack, M.D., M.B.A., deputy director for NCPC. “We will offer guidance and develop initiatives that provide vendor selection and group purchasing, interoperability and health information exchange, project management and implementation, privacy and security best practices and workforce support.”

“The Georgia Department of Community Health is spearheading the development of an accurate and secure Health Information Exchange system for the state,” said Dr. Rhonda Medows, commissioner. “We are proud to partner with Morehouse School of Medicine to promote the adoption of electronic health records by health care providers and to provide information for effective use of health information technology.”

“This joint effort will enable us to reach the provider community and give them the necessary support to improve health outcomes for the patients they serve,” said Dr. Carladenise Edwards, DCH chief of staff and State Health Information Technology coordinator.

About MorehouseSchool of Medicine

Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) recruits and trains minority and other students as physicians, biomedical scientists and public health professionals committed to improving the health and well-being of communities. MSM is a member of the largest consortium of Historically BlackColleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the world — the AtlantaUniversityCenter (AUC).  

For more information about MorehouseSchool of Medicine, visit us online at www.msm.edu.

About GeorgiaDepartment of Community Health

The GeorgiaDepartment of Community Health (DCH) was created in 1999 to serve as the lead agency for health care planning and purchasing issues in Georgia.  The General Assembly created DCH by consolidating four agencies involved in purchasing, planning and regulating health care.  In 2009, the Division of Public Health and Emergency Preparedness transitioned to DCH.  The department is also designated as the single state agency for Medicaid.  For more information about DCH, visit www.dch.georgia.gov.

The Office of Health Information Technology and Transparency (HITT) is responsible for leading the strategic efforts of the State of Georgia for health information technology adoption and health information exchange to improve healthcare delivery for providers, healthcare professionals and consumers.  To learn more about DCH’s Office of HITT, visit /node/112.