M.S.A. §144.3345

Interconnected electronic health record grants

Grants are awarded by the Commissioner of Health to eligible community e-health collaboratives for the implementation and use of interoperable electronic health records (“EHRs”).  These activities include collaborative efforts to host and support EHRs, electronic medication and patient history, EHRs for patients with chronic disease and disease prevention, rural and underserved areas for electronic prescribing, modernizing local public health information systems to rapidly exchange information, and implementing community or regional health information exchanges.  Community health clinics can be awarded grants to plan and implement fully functional interoperable EHRs and purchase computer hardware and software to fully implement interoperable EHRs.  Regional or community HIEs may be awarded grants to connect and facilitate the exchange of information including development, testing and implementation of data exchange standards, setting security standards to ensure confidentiality, designing mechanisms to standardize health information, and creating a mechanism to implement patient consent requirements.  Community health boards or boards of health may receive funds to modernize local public health information systems that are standards based and interoperable. 

To receive such a grant, interested health care entities must submit an application.  Preference will be given to projects benefitting rural and medically underserved areas.