Highlights: $108 million available for HHS health IT grants; NOLA and San Francisco work to increase transparency; and NJ Governor wants $5.5 million for IT upgrades
MULTI-JURISDICTION
The Health and Human Services Department is distributing $108 million to state and local agencies and rural health providers to push for broader adoption of electronic health records. Under a new demonstration program developed through the Rural Health Initiative, HHS has awarded $12 million this year to rural health providers to install broadband networks and purchase equipment to increase the use of digital record systems, according to a release. The funding is also intended to help the rural providers become eligible for incentive payments to doctors and hospitals under the economic stimulus law. The law allocated $19 million in such payments to motivate adoption of EHR systems. “These funds will help safety net providers acquire state-of-the-art health IT systems to ensure the delivery of quality care to some of the most remote areas of our country,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. $108M up for grabs in HHS health IT grants
New Orleans and San Francisco are looking at ways to increase transparency. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu recently announced that the city will be implementing two new measures - BottomLineStat and ReqtoCheckStat - designed to increase budget transparency and improve the efficiency of the city’s contracting system. San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu also announced that he is putting forward a measure that would put the city budget online for the public and public officials. NOLA, San Fran work to increase transparency
FLORIDA
Officials in Panama City, Fla., have added an extra layer of security to lock down Google Docs, ensuring that documents are securely archived and that only authorized information is published for public viewing. Google Docs makes documents more accessible and portable for organizations, putting the creation and publishing of documents in the hands of users. The Web-based office suite and data storage service lets users create and edit documents online while collaborating in real time with other users. As a result, managers charged with keeping sensitive documents protected from unauthorized viewing could lose control over how documents are shared within and outside of their organizations. To gain control over their Google Docs domain, Panama City administrators purchased CloudLock for Google Apps, software available from Google Marketplace, developed by CloudLock of Waltham, Mass. Fla. city takes secure path to Google cloud
NEW JERSEY
One of the odder budget fights in state government this summer has featured Gov. Chris Christie trying to spend money over objections from Democrats. The role-flipping scene centers on the state’s woeful computer systems, which Christie wants to spend $5.5 million to start upgrading. Democratic lawmakers did not include Christie’s proposal in the budget - a change the governor couldn’t reverse in his line-item vetoes, which can erase funds but cannot add. The funding was supposed to be the first installment of a five-year, $60 million initiative but remains up in the air as summer nears its end - much like the overall IT program, which is looking for new leadership after the state’s chief technology officer, Adel Ebeid, left this summer. Those changes may be more expansive, as the Christie administration is contemplating a larger revamp of New Jersey’s IT operation, which is split between an independent office working - and not always closely - with each state department and their separate technology staffs as clients. The state might consolidate all its IT operations and could give its chief Cabinet-level status. NJ government computer system called outdated; Christie wants to budget $5.5M for upgrades
SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina is the latest in a small group of states that are rejecting federal funding to enact requirements outlined in the health care reform law. Governor Nikki Haley indicated last week that her state will not apply for funds to set up a health insurance exchange in the state saying that the state can’t afford it. The announcement comes on the heels of a similar one from Kansas Governor Sam Brownback who said last week that Kansas will not set up a health insurance exchange. According to Haley, even with the aid of federal grants, South Carolina can’t afford and doesn’t want a health insurance exchange. Her decision is supported by the head of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services Tony Heck who feels that a health insurance exchange isn’t right for citizens of South Carolina. Health insurance exchanges are required for every state under federal health care reform legislation. Haley refuses health insurance exchange, HCR