Charleston, WV (AP) -- With all eight of its state-owned hospitals using electronic health records, West Virginia is hoping to reap some of the roughly $17 billion in federal stimulus funds intended as incentives for such systems.
Statewide, other health care facilities are also embracing the switch from paper records, including West Virginia University Hospital.
Starting in 2011, hospitals, clinics and doctors can start receiving federal stimulus funds if they're using the technology.
But the specifics of how that will work, and how much money providers will be able to get, are still unclear.
The legislature hopes to have a firm idea by its may budget session of what stimulus funds West Virginia can expect.
(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
