Ann Arbor-based Altarum Institute has been awarded a grant of
$19,619,990 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve
as the lead agent in establishing Michigan’s health information
technology regional extension center, the Michigan Center for Effective
IT Adoption (M-CEITA, www.mceita.org).
The grant will be administered through the Office of the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology and managed and sponsored
by Altarum. It is expected to create over 100 new jobs in Michigan.
“to provide education, outreach, and
technical assistance to improve the quality and value of health care
delivery in our state.”
"Health information technology holds the promise of bringing
transformational change to health care," said Altarum Institute
President and CEO Lincoln Smith. "With this grant, M-CEITA will act as
an advocate for providers across Michigan, giving them the support they
need as they adopt critical technology and considerably improve the
quality of care we all receive."
M-CEITA is a partnership of 13 Michigan organizations, including the
Michigan Public Health Institute; MPRO: Michigan's Quality Improvement
Organization; Michigan Primary Care Association; Michigan State Medical
Society; Michigan Osteopathic Association; Alliance for Health; Michigan
Health and Hospital Association; University of Michigan; Michigan State
University; Wayne State University; Upper Peninsula Health Care Network;
and Central Michigan University Research Corporation. M-CEITA will also
be supported through an additional $1 million grant from The Kresge
Foundation.
M-CEITA’s collective mission is “to provide education, outreach, and
technical assistance to improve the quality and value of health care
delivery in our state.” As Michigan’s health information technology
regional extension center, M-CEITA will offer electronic health record
adoption assistance services to the approximately 17,000 primary care
providers in Michigan. M-CEITA will also help Michigan providers
maximize their share of over $700 million in federal incentives
available to decrease financial barriers to HIT adoption.
The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 established the
health information technology regional extension center program as part
of an overall initiative to modernize health practices, adopt and use
technology, share critical patient information, and meaningfully use HIT.