Press Releases

SEBELIUS AWARDS OVER $10 MILLION TO UTAH TO TEST INNOVATIONS IN CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE

             Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced a grant of over $10 million to Utah to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The grant is part of $100 million in federal funds awarded to 10 states today as part of the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA).  The funds will be awarded over a five-year period.  Utah will work in partnership with Idaho and will be awarded $2.9 million in the first year of a five-year grant totaling $10.3 million.

“We all have a stake in the health of our nation’s children,” said Sebelius. “Exploring new technologies and initiatives will help ensure our kids get the high quality care they need and deserve.”

Utah and Idaho will test the effectiveness of having a “medical home” coordinator in primary and specialty care practices to improve coordination of referrals and information sharing for children with chronic and complex conditions.   The two states will also devote resources to training medical residents in quality improvement and how to best utilize the “medical home” model.   The states will also utilize public health data sources, such as immunization registries, to develop patient profiles that will enable clinicians to maintain up-to-date information to guide clinical decision-making.

            The grants are totally federally funded and are designed help establish a national quality system for children’s health care through Medicaid and CHIP.  The money will help states implement and evaluate provider performance measures and utilize health information technologies such as pediatric electronic health records and other quality improvement initiatives.

“These grants will test the most current theories of how to improve the quality of care delivered to children,” said Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.   “These awards will help create the foundation for a more responsive and effective national framework of high quality healthcare for children.”

             More information about children’s health coverage can be found at www.InsureKidsNow.gov.

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news.