Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Tuesday the first batch of organizations receiving Health Care Innovation awards, a program created by the Affordable Care Act. The awards total $122.6 million and will support 26 innovative projects nationwide that will save money, deliver high quality medical care and enhance the healthcare workforce.
The preliminary awardees expect to reduce health spending by $254 million over the next three years.
“We can’t wait to support innovative projects that will save money and make our healthcare system stronger,” said Sebelius, in a press release announcing the awards. “It’s yet another way we are supporting local communities now in their efforts to provide better care and lower cost.”
The new projects include collaborations of leading hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technology innovators, community-based organizations and patients’ advocacy groups, among others, located in urban and rural areas that will begin work this year to address healthcare issues in local communities.
Projects include:
- Emory University’s collaboration with area health systems to train health professionals and use telehealth technologies to link critical care units in rural Georgia to critical care doctors in Atlanta hospitals.
- Camp Courage, which is a program in Minneapolis-St. Paul serving adults with disabilities and complex medical conditions.
- A University Hospitals of Cleveland initiative to increase access and care coordination for children beyond the walls of the doctor’s office.
Preliminary awardees were chosen for their innovative solutions to the healthcare challenges facing their communities and for their focus on creating a well-trained healthcare workforce that is equipped to meet the need for new jobs in the 21st century health system, said HHS in a press release.
Click here for more information on the awards.