By Elisa Sand (Staff Reporter)
Horizon Health Care in Howard has received $795,580 in federal funding from the Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program. The program helps health providers purchase various equipment to move towards electronic medical records and enhance telemedicine opportunities.
Horizon CEO John Mengenhausen said about $400,000 will be used to buy software and hardware to help the clinic with its transition to electronic medical records. Other funds will be used for enhancing telemedicine opportunities by purchasing specializied equipment that can be used during telemedicine consults. The balance of the funding is being used to update other equipment including a digital process for x-rays.
"It's a great opportunity for us to upgrade our equipment," Mengenhausen said. Health care centers operated by Horizon provide service regardless of income and charge based on a sliding scale. Horizon operated medical clinics in Bryant, DeSmet, Howard, Lake Preston, Martin, Mission, Plankinton, Wessington Springs, White River and Woonsocket. It also operates three dental clinics in Martin, Howard, and DeSmet.
Mengenhausen said this is the second round of stimulus funding that has been received by the clinic. The first was a $275,000 award allowed for the hiring of additional staff. Through that funding the system was able to hire a nurse practioner for Howard and Woonsocket and a Telemedicine Coordinator. The funding covers salaries for the next two years with the hope that the positions are self sufficient after that time.
"We're optimistic that will happen," he said.
A third opportunity for stimulus funding will soon be available. Mengenhausen said that funding is geared toward construction projects, but he is unsure if there are any planned projects among the Horizon clinics that would take advantage of that funding.
Mengenhausen said the equipment necessary for transitioning to electronic medical records has already been purchased and Horizon hopes to be up and running by the end of the year.
Mengenhausen said the conversion process for moving toward electronic medical records does not require a lot of data entry when it comes to patient information. Most recommendations, he said, include having the basic information about a patient available electronically as a starting point. In addition to name, address, and insurance information, some of the initial data would include recent diagnoses and medications that are currently prescribed.
Mengenhausen said for the first couple years doctors will use tablet computers for entry of new information, but continue to refer to a patient's paper records. One of the advantages to having electronic records, he said, is when it comes to prescribing medications. Doctors will be able to send prescriptions directly to the pharmacy electronically, he said, and they can be altered to potential drug interactions with existing medications.
The Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program is administered by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services. Funding was announced Monday by Sen. Tim Johnson. The allocation to Horizon is part of $3.5 million in grants awarded in South Dakota to six health centers.
"This funding will help improve health care in Howard and around the state to help ensure that our citizens received the best healthcare available," Johnson said. "This funding is a great example of how the economic recovery package is helping local communities in South Dakota."
Other grants were awarded to health organizations in Isabel, Fort Pierre, Elk Point, Rapid City and Sioux Falls.
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