How do I Integrate HIT Into Clinical Education Grants?

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act created grant funding opportunities in the health information technology field. Integrating health information technology into clinical education programs has left some grant writers and program administrators scrambling to figure out how to integrate HIT into their education programs and into grant proposals to become eligible for this type of funding. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services coordinates the Health Information Technology requirements and awards grants in nine broad categories. HIT can be integrated into different types of clinical education programs according to program needs and grant requirements.

• 1

  Determine which type of health information technology (HIT) would be the most appropriate and helpful to integrate into your clinical education program and establish how you will solve the issues identified by the federal HIT grant requirements. Consider whether or not there is already a health information technology program in place, or if you will be adding to your pre-existing clinical education program's curriculum, scope or function.

• 2

  Adopt a curriculum and write it into the clinical education grant that shows how you propose to teach health care providers how to use a software system for creating and maintaining electronic health records (EHR's). Show in the grant how you plan to build relationships between health care education providers in your community where educational researchers can exchange electronic health records (EHR's) in order to facilitate better care. This type of health information technology program would fall under the "Beacon Community" grant category.

• 3

  Write up a program that shows how the grant monies will be used, if awarded, to teach health care providers at the state and regional level about state health information policies and the financing process for obtaining federal grants to support health information technology adoption. This type of educational program describes a way to integrate HIT into clinical education within the parameters of the "State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement" grant area.

• 4

  Create an educational organization and write a plan to develop an Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) combining your clinical education program with other health information technology programs in your region or state. Write this up as part of the grant which falls under the "Health Information Technology Extension" grant description. The HIT extension grant is also looking for an educational organization to create a national HIT extension center.

• 5

  Write up a grant and incorporate how to create a "Health Information Partnership" with other rural health care educators if you are affiliated with a qualified rural critical assess hospital to obtain "Critical Access and Rural Hospitals" grant funding.

• 6

  Develop a list of "best practice" suggestions for HIT education programs and incorporate this into a grant package. This meets the "Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP)" grant requirements

• 7

  Offer to develop a clinical education curriculum within a community college setting that includes HIT terminology, policy and software courses to qualify under the "Community College Consortia to Educate Health Information Technology Professionals" grant category. Write up the program, how it is to be implemented and incorporate this program into the grant application.

• 8

  Integrate a standard HIT curriculum for clinical education at the state or national level into a grant to apply for the "Curriculum Development Centers" grant.

• 9

  Design a clinical education program that incorporates scholarly HIT research on HIT implementation and progress across states and nationally as well as training for heath professionals specializing in IT with the "Assistance for University-Based Training" grant category. Incorporate this program into the grant and apply.

• 10

  Expand on a program for testing of individuals seeking HIT certification for employment. A clinical education program could integrate HIT into the program and be eligible for the grant money in the "Competency Examination for Individuals Completing Non-Degree Training" category by concentrating on creating valid exams to test providers on the use and regulations surrounding health information technology.