New Jersey officials and members of the health care industry will utilize $11.4 million in federal funding to create an electronic health records program linking hospitals, doctors and insurance companies together over secure networks.

The funding, awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, meets one of the stimulus package’s goals in moving states closer to a nationwide effort of a larger electronic health record network by 2014.

Poonam Alaigh

The effort in New Jersey will create four regional Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) to share information including lab results and medication histories among all providers in the state. The exchanges are envisioned as helping improve health care quality and efficiency by eliminating duplicate tests, avoiding dangerous medication interactions and providing patient medical histories among facilities, according to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.

“The real-time exchange of clinical data among health-care providers represents a central pillar of health-care reform,” Health and Senior Services Commissioner Dr. Poonam Alaigh said in a statement. “If we’re going to get serious about reducing costs, if we’re going to get serious about managing patients with chronic disease, and if we’re going to get serious about coordinating care, then accurate and robust data at the point of care is fundamental.”

Tom Considine, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, added “these infrastructure projects are important building blocks in creating a network-wide electronic health records system.

“These projects will help lead the way toward better and safer medical care for the people of New Jersey,” he said. “An electronic health records system translates to important cost savings for hundreds of thousands of people.”

Both Alaigh and Considine were recently confirmed for their new positions by the New Jersey Senate following their appointments by Gov. Chris Christie.