HHS announces health law ‘innovation awards’

Sebelius called the awards “investments in American innovation.” 

“We can’t wait to support innovative projects that will save money and make our healthcare system stronger,” Sebelius said in a statement.

“It’s yet another way we are supporting local communities now in their efforts to provide better care and lower cost.”

Several of the awards relate to advances in tele-healthcare.

One effort would employ the technology in Georgia to allow rural hospitals to keep patients in critical condition rather than transferring them to specialty units in Atlanta.

Another would use the technology to allow physicians at an elite children’s hospital in Cleveland to contribute expertise in local pediatric practices.