How much is available for Health Information Technology?
A total of $19 billion will be available nationwide through a combination of grants, loans and technical assistance programs that invest in health information exchange. $2 billion will be available to federal agencies to plan, develop and pilot health information technology programs. A portion of the initial $2 billion will be given out as grants to states. States will have to develop plans and apply for funding through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The New Jersey Health Information Technology Commission and the Office of Health Information Technology, which together are responsible for developing a statewide Health Information Technology plan may be eligible for some of the funding. Once this planning and piloting phase is completed in 2010, $17 billion—the majority of the health IT funds—will be distributed to hospitals and physicians to buy Health Information Technology systems. Hospitals
