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Funding innovation and solutions benefiting members focus of program by Blue Cross Blue Shield and UND Center for Rural Health.
Seven of the many applicants to the Rural Health Grant Program Awards will receive funding for 2011. Supporting innovative solutions to health needs of rural North Dakotans—using technology—by improving access, safety, quality, effectiveness and efficiency is the idea that spawned the Blue Cross Blue Shield Rural Health Grant Program in 2001. The program, funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) and administered through the Center of Rural Health (CRH) at the University of North Dakota, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, is an example of how collaboration can result in innovative solutions that overcome size and distance, while reducing redundancy and increasing access and efficiency.
"Funding these programs means leveraging the smart use of technology to benefit our rural members," says Paul von Ebers, President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. "Applicants for these grants continue to raise the bar – and demonstrate the need – for collaboration that puts ideas into action which can impact accessibility and efficiency."
The seven 2011 awards total $375,000, and all met the key criteria of collaboration, sharing of communication and reduction of duplication of services. Applications to the program are reviewed by an external grant review committee, with the highest priority given to those programs geared towards the development and promotion of health information technology. The seven programs receiving awards are:
"Electronic health records, as well as telehealth technology, are progressive tools for expanding access and collaboration between providers, rural and urban, to ensure top quality care for N.D. residents." said Lynette Dickson, the grant program's director at the Center for Rural Health. "Current federal initiatives are necessitating the accelerated adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) and these grants are a much appreciated investment in our rural communities."
A total of 66 different grants have been awarded since the program was first initiated by BCBSND in 2001 as an effort to strengthen the rural health delivery system in North Dakota. Through the agreement with BCBSND to help develop and administer the program, the CRH facilitates the application process and review, notifies the grantees of their award determinations, plus monitors each program's progress through the year and releases the grant funds. Slightly more than $3 million has been allocated since the program's inception.
For more information visit the BCBSND Rural Health Grant Program