Nearly $1 Billion In Stimulus Funds Set Aside For Health Care I.T.

Friday, February 12, 2010 at 1:17PM
Justin Duckham in Frontpage 1, Jared Bernstein, Recovery Act, sebelius

$750 million in Recovery Act funds will be allocated toward improving information technology in the health care sector, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday.

“The awards we are talking about today ... help to unleash the power of health I.T. to cut costs, eliminate paper work and most of all help doctors deliver high-powered coordinated health care,” Sebelius said during a conference call with reporters.

According to a statement released by HHS, more than 100,000 medical centers and individual providers will have access to the technologies within the next four years.

The funds are coupled with an additional $225 million from the Recovery Act to train workers in careers based around the soon-to-be-implemented technologies.

Jared Bernstein, the Chief Economist for the office of the Vice President, praised the training programs as a wise investment.

“In every month of this recession, including those at the beginning... the health care sector was adding jobs,” Bernstein explained.

The program, which will be spearheaded by the Department of Labor, is set to provide training for 15,000 workers.

Article originally appeared on Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media (http://www.talkradionews.com/).