The Minnesota Department of Health's Office of Rural Health and Primary Care today announced they have awarded grants totaling $3.5 million to help Minnesota providers develop electronic patient health records systems.

The funding comes from the Interconnected Electronic Health Record Grant Program, a part of Governor Pawlenty's e-Health Initiative. The e-Health initiative is part of a broader set of strategies designed to improve the quality and efficiency of health care.

Minnesota law requires all Minnesota health care providers to use electronic patient health records by January 1, 2015. The Interconnected Electronic Health Record Grant Program is intended to help community collaboratives, community clinics, rural hospitals, small town physician clinics, nursing homes, and other small health care providers transition from paper records to electronic systems. These interoperable electronic health records will allow health care providers to exchange patient health information and deliver optimal care at all points of the health care system.

Seven community projects received planning and readiness grants between $23,000 and $50,000. They are:

• Cedar Riverside People's Center, Minneapolis
• Community Health Information Collaborative, Duluth
• Community Memorial Hospital, Cloquet
• Lake Superior Community Health Center, Duluth
• Sleepy Eye Medical Center, Sleepy Eye
• St. Gabriel's Hospital, Little Falls
• Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center, Bemidji

Nine implementation projects, ranging from $89,000 to $650,000, were awarded to:

• Northern Minnesota Network, Isanti
• Roseau Area Hospital and Homes collaborative, Roseau
• SISU Medical Systems, Duluth
• Community-University Health Care Center, Minneapolis
• Neighborhood Health Care Network, St. Paul
• Open Cities Health Center, St. Paul
• Lakeland Mental Health Center, Fergus Falls
• Lakeview Medical Clinic collaborative, Sauk Centre
• St. Elizabeth's Hospital collaborative, Wabasha

In addition to these grants, the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care is now accepting applications for the Electronic Health Records Revolving Loan Program, which provides six-year, no-interest loans up to $1.5 million on a first-come, first-served basis to help rural and community providers implement electronic health records. For more information, visit: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/index.html