Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell announced that the state will use nearly $10 million in federal grant funds to improve the quality of health care for children and reduce the cost of services by using electronic health records.

Ed Rendell

The funds, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), will allow the state’s departments of insurance and public welfare to create Quality Improvement and Care for Kids through Electronic Programs, or QUICKSTEPS.

Over the life of the five-year grant, QUICKSTEPS will help improve health outcomes for nearly one million Pennsylvania children in the Medical Assistance and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by using pediatric electronic health records featuring pre-visit screening capabilities and a referral linkage system, according to the governor’s office.

“For many children, clinical information collected may not be readily transferable across the continuum of care, especially as they move between different health care settings and social agencies,” Rendell said in a statement. “The effective use of electronic health records makes the transfer of this vital information possible and improves the quality and coordination of their care.”

The QUICKSTEPS program will have partners in seven health care systems essential to both the Medical Assistance and CHIP programs: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Geisinger Health System; St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children; Penn State Hershey Medical Center; PinnacleHealth System; Pocono Health System; and West Penn Allegheny Health System.

These health systems will implement testing and reporting on pediatric core measures of quality, promote the use of health information technology with children and demonstrate the impact of the pediatric electronic health record over the next five years.

“Our collective work will help to establish an integrated system of quality health care for children receiving services through CHIP and Medical Assistance,” Rendell said.  “These new pediatric health records have the potential to quickly transform the delivery of health care through improved communication between health care providers, organization and patients by making care more accessible, efficient and cost-effective.”