TALLAHASSEE - Lt. Governor Toni Jennings and Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Secretary Alan Levine joined representatives of the Tampa Bay Regional Health Information Organization in announcing recipients of the Florida Health Information Network (FHIN) grants. The grants, totaling more than $1.5 million, are designed to facilitate the adoption and use of privacy-protected electronic health records in Florida.

"Governor Bush has made a strong commitment to supporting the development of statewide electronic health records, while protecting the privacy of our residents," said Lt. Governor Jennings. "A strong electronic health record system will improve health care for all Floridians by reducing medical errors, boosting efficiency and ultimately lowering costs. These grants, along with the Governor's request for additional support, will make Florida a national leader in electronic medical record-keeping."

In 2005, the Florida Legislature appropriated $1.5 million to fund the development of the Florida Health Information Network. This year, Governor Bush will request $5 million in recurring funding for additional grants to support the expansion of electronic health records, as well as a recommendation for two positions and an additional $200,000 to support the personnel to administer the grant program.
The FHIN grant program was developed by AHCA to facilitate the development of a statewide privacy-protected health information infrastructure network as recommended by the Governor's Health Information Infrastructure Advisory Board in its 2005 interim report to the Governor. The program provides seed money to develop regional health information exchanges and to encourage practitioners to become active users of electronic health records.

"Electronic health records are a vital part of the future of health care in our nation," said AHCA Secretary Levine. "By embracing the concept and developing networks here in Florida, we're making a long-term investment in the quality of health care for each and every Floridian."

Grants provide funding for implementation, planning, and training and technical assistance. Planning and implementation projects are designed to promote health information exchanges among two or more competing provider organizations and to demonstrate the appropriate sharing of health information in the course of patient care. Training and technical assistance grants are awarded to projects to increase the number of practitioners using electronic health records and participating in information exchange. Project applications were competitively evaluated by the Advisory Board, which made recommendations to AHCA.

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