HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced Tuesday $112 million in awards to eight regional cooperatives to work with about 5,000 primary care professionals as part of the EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health in Primary Care program.
The program — funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — aims to improve heart health for nearly 8 million patients in both urban and rural communities. Up to 300 small primary care practices will receive quality improvement coaching and consultation and EHR support from seven of the regional cooperatives established by EvidenceNOW, which will receive grant money for three years.
An eighth cooperative will receive a grant to evaluate the overall initiative and study its impact on the delivery of cardiovascular care and determine which strategies are the most effective. The eighth cooperative will receive funding for four years.
"The goal of the EvidenceNOW initiative is to give primary care practices the support they need to help patients live healthier and longer," Secretary Burwell said in a statement. "By targeting smaller practices, we have a unique opportunity to reduce cardiovascular risk factors for hundreds of thousands of patients, and learn what kind of support results in better patient outcomes."
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