§300jj–35 Demonstration program to integrate information technology into clinical education

Summary

The Secretary may give competitive, peer-reviewed grants to run demonstration projects that teach health students how to use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology in clinical training. Applicants must apply when and how the Secretary asks, send a plan for using EHRs to reduce medical errors, improve prevention, lower chronic disease, and raise care quality, be a medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, physician assistant, behavioral/mental health, or similar graduate health school (or a consortium or institution with a graduate medical education program), collect data on patient safety, care efficiency, and whether graduates will use EHRs, and provide matching funds. Grant work must involve at least two health disciplines and must be used in community clinical training. Grant money cannot buy hardware, software, or services. The Secretary must not pay more than 50% of project costs unless a national economic problem justifies a waiver with notice to Congress. The Secretary must evaluate projects, share the results widely, and, within 1 year of February 17, 2009 and every year after, report to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee describing the projects and giving recommendations to Congress.