HHS doles out $36M in grants for improvements in patient care

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is handing out $36.3 million to more than 1,000 health centers across the country that have significantly improved the quality of their patient care.

The health centers that received funding have all proven “high levels of quality performance” that aligns with the government’s attempts to strengthen care and cut costs under ObamaCare, according to a release Tuesday from HHS.

About $18 million went to the 1,058 health centers that have shown “a significant improvement” in their patients’ health.

“It allows them to expand and improve their systems and infrastructure to bring the highest quality primary care services to the communities they serve,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell wrote in a statement.

HHS has renewed its focus on improving primary care under the Affordable Care Act, which has helped millions of people get access to physicians for the first time.

The funds also supported healthcare providers who are using Electronic Health Records to report data, another priority for the administration as it looks to improve data on healthcare nationwide.

Health centers also received grants if they placed among the top 30 percent of all providers for the best overall clinical outcomes, about 400 centers in total.