The State of New Jersey hereby informs interested parties that the State intends to apply for a formula-based federal grant for health information exchange projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, specifically the “HITECH” portions of the Act.

On August 20, 2009, the Office of the National Coordinator released guidance on the “State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreement Program,” and the State is rapidly reviewing that guidance. This guidance is available at
healthit.hhs.gov/HITECHgrants.

It is anticipated that the State application will include the description and potential funding of health-information exchanges at various entities in New Jersey. Because the State seeks to form a compelling state-grant agreement with the federal government, these projects will be selected by rigorously applying criteria developed in accordance with the Recovery Act, guidance from ONC, and State priorities.

More information on how to apply, relevant deadlines, criteria for applications, and the formal grant application process to the State will be posted at this web site, http://www.state.nj.us/recovery/ in upcoming weeks.