HHS awards EHR grants.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: UP FRONT: News, Trends & Analysis

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently awarded four contracts worth a combined $18.6 million for the development of electronic health records (EHR) systems in 12 U.S. regions that will serve as models for the nation, according to The New York Times.

Under the contracts, Accenture, Computer Sciences, IBM, and Northrop Grumman each will develop EHR systems for three regions over the next year. The companies must establish personal EHRs and provide physicians with affordable online access to patient records, diagnostic information, and billing records.

The EHR systems also will improve efforts to monitor and respond to public health emergencies such as disease epidemics or bioterrorist attacks. The companies can use different technologies in their EHR systems, but all of the systems must be compatible, and users must be able to exchange EHR information among institutions.

The Times reported that $18.6 million is "a fraction of the...