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GaHIN will partner with HealtHIE Georgia along with Jefferson Hospital, Emanuel Medical Center, Wills Memorial Hospital and Washington County Regional Medical to design a rural telehealth network that will link providers and partners to underserved and remote communities.
Jefferson Hospital, located in Louisville, GA (see map on right), will be established as a new hub site for project activities including outreach to other end-user sites.
GaHIN will use the USDA grant funds to upgrade its network system and has selected Ready Computing as its technology partner to advance health information exchange, telehealth, primary care, acute care, behavioral health and behavioral health care coordination. Ready Computing has 10-plus years of experience in healthcare IT services and will configure, install and support the InterSystems’ HealthShare technology platform for GaHIN.
“We have been impressed with the expertise and knowledge at Ready Computing and look forward to working with them on several high-priority projects,” said GaHIN Executive Director Dr. Denise Hines, PMP, FHIMSS. “With their assistance, we can develop and support systems that help bring parity to areas deemed medically underserved and create a healthier Georgia for all of the state’s residents.”
Among the high-priority projects that Ready Computing will undertake are:
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HealtHIE Georgia – Clinical and lab data integration for CCDA publication and exchange, including advanced ADT alerting capabilities for their 25+ rural hospitals and community health providers
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Georgia Department of Community Health – Claims data ingestion, data normalization to CCDA/clinical data formats with the ability for advanced claims and clinical data matching and reporting outputs
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Georgia Department of Public Health – GRITS data ingestion, data normalization, and publication in standard clinical formats including advanced data registry reporting capabilities
Background: Emergency Rural Healthcare Grant
Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021 to deliver immediate economic relief to people impacted by the pandemic. Within months after the Act’s passage, USDA responded quickly by making this funding available to ensure the long-term availability of rural health care services.
In August 2021, USDA made the Emergency Rural Health Care Grants available through the American Rescue Plan Act to help rural health care facilities, tribes and communities expand access to health care services and nutrition assistance.
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