Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced $100 million in federal grants to 18 states to improve healthcare quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The 10 grants, to be awarded over a five-year period, are funded by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA).
The money will help states implement and evaluate provider performance measures and use health information technologies such as pediatric electronic health records and other quality improvement initiatives.
“We all have a stake in the health of our nation’s children,” said Sebelius. “Exploring new technologies and initiatives will help ensure our kids get the high quality care they need and deserve.”
“These grants will test the most current theories of how to improve the quality of care delivered to children,” said Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “These awards will help create the foundation for a more responsive and effective national system of high quality healthcare for children.”
The recipents represent both single-state projects and multi-state collaborations. Grantees working in multi-state partnerships will share funding, with grants ultimately distributed among 18 states in total.
Eight of the 10 grantees will test a new set of child health quality measures and seven of the 10 states will use the funds to implement health information technology strategies, with two states specifically planning to develop a new pediatric electronic health record format.
States and five-year award totals:
- Maine and Vermont will receive $11,277,362;
- Oregon, Alaska and West Virginia will receive $11,277,361;
- Pennsylvania will receive $9,777,361;
- North Carolina will receive $9,277,361;
- Florida and Illinois will receive $11,277,361;
- Massachusetts will receive $8,777,542;
- Colorado and New Mexico will receive $7,784,030;
- Utah and Idaho will receive $10,277,360;
- South Carolina will receive $9,277,361;
- Maryland, Georgia and Wyoming will receive $10,993,171.