SOUTH CAROLINA

CITIA-SC A Regional Extension Center

The South Carolina Regional Extension Center program has been set up under the moniker CITIA-SC: The Center for Information Technology Implementation Assistance in South Carolina. Out of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, the Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC) received a $5.6 million grant to establish and direct the creation of South Carolina’s Regional Extension Center. This amounted to one of the highest amounts per physician in the country. HSSC was established in April 2004 as a public-private 501(c)(3) entity. This organization is the nation’s only statewide biomedical research collaborative and is supported by South Carolina’s largest universities and hospitals. Partners of HSSC include Clemson University, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Medical University Hospital Authority, Palmetto Health, AnMed Health, McLeod Health, Self Regional, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, University of South Carolina and The Duke Endowment. CITIA is a partnership program that includes the SC Office of Rural Health, the SC Primary Health Care Association, and The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence. The mission of this program is: To improve the health and quality of life of South Carolinians through the use of electronic health information as a critical tool for achieving enhanced clinical effectiveness, improved overall performance of the healthcare system and better value and satisfaction for all patient consumers. This mission is born out of the initiative of the Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers Program (program 93.718) as authorized by the Public Health Service Act of ARRA 2009. The statutory objectives of the regional centers are to enhance and promote health information technology as laid out in the Public Health Service Act. In late 2010, the Federal Health IT Coordinator completed the final selection of Regional Extension Centers forming a resource pool of 62 organizations that are tasked with helping physicians, clinics, and hospitals transition to electronic health records. A total of $677 million has been allocated from February to October of 2010. South Carolina received its grant award in April with the primary recipient listed as The South Carolina Research Foundation, which was further defined as CITIA. CITIA is offering a range of services from consulting on implementation and meaningful use, to information on security best practices and vendor selection. After application for assistance has been approved, services are being delivered by one of the three partners outlined above. The cost for services is free for those that join prior to April of 2011. CITIA has also been promoted and supported by the PalmettoHIT network, which is a statewide initiative to advance the use of electronic health records. Additionally the South Carolina Health Information Exchange (SCHIEx) has been established as the health information exchange for the state. Together these organizations and the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services have come together to provide comprehensive resources for the providers of South Carolina and have positioned the state to achieve the goals and objectives as outlined in their individual mission statements.

References and Resources: http://www.healthsciencessc.org/index.php/more/rec-grant http://www.citiasc.org/Default.aspx?pn=PublicFAQ http://www.federalgrantswire.com/health-information-technology-regional-extension-centers-program.html Federal health IT coordinator completes nationwide system to assist doctors and hospitals in switching to electronic health records. HHS Press Office. 8.28.2010. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/09/20100928a.html

http://hit.scdhhs.gov/hit/ http://www.palmettohit.net/ http://www.schiex.org/index.php https://www.citiasc.org/ http://healthit.hhs.gov

Submitted by Tripp Jennings