Record numbers of U.S. smokers are turning to telephone quitlines for help in breaking their addiction, but access to this critical service is being put at risk by state budget cuts, according to a report released today by the North American Quitline Consortium and other public health organizations.

The number of tobacco users calling quitlines—a telephone helpline where smokers can turn for trusted, reliable help when they want to quit—increased 116% between 2005 and 2009, according to the report. Despite this increase in demand, total funding for all U.S. quitlines decreased for the first time ever in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. The full report, U.S. Quitlines at a Crossroads: Utilization, Budget, and Service Trends 2005-2010, is available online at: www.naquitline.org/report. This report was produced with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Funding has been cut despite the fact that states will collect $25.1 billion in revenue this year from tobacco taxes and legal settlements with the tobacco industry, and more states have already enacted or are considering tobacco tax increases this year. These increases will motivate more smokers to try to quit and provide additional revenue that states can use to fund quitlines and other tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

“At a time when demand for quitlines is at a record level, it is more important than ever to support proven tobacco cessation efforts,” said Linda Bailey, president and chief executive officer of the North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC). “The investment of $2.19 per capita for quitlines, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,1 is based on sound science and real-world experience. States that made the necessary investments have been able to provide cessation services to the growing number of smokers who want to quit. We commend the states that have committed the necessary funding to quitline services and encourage them to continue this practice.”

In late 2009, all publicly-funded quitlines in the U.S. were asked to complete a survey to assess their financial and service capacity. The NAQC-administered survey included questions related to: quitline budgets; changes in budgets over time and their impact; funding sources; promotion and utilization of quitline services; and capacity to provide services to tobacco users. The report shows that while quitlines have made tremendous progress in financial and service capacity, this progress is being put at risk by a seven percent decrease in total funding for all U.S. quitlines in FY 2010.

While federal and state economic conditions are difficult, the resources do exist to fully fund quitlines and comprehensive tobacco control programs consistent with the best practices recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1 According to a recent report on how states are spending the money collected each year from the Master Settlement Agreement and other tobacco tax revenues, in “Fiscal Year 2010, the states will collect $25.1 billion from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes. They will spend just 2.3 percent of it—$567.5 million—on tobacco prevention and cessation programs.”2 Funding can also be raised through a dedicated tax on tobacco products.

The report found that for FY 2009 to FY 2010: 27 states reported quitline funding reductions; 20 experienced reductions in service budgets; 19 states cut back spending on medications; and 25 reduced funding for promotions. While 20 states reported funding increases for quitlines, further analysis found 12 of these states experienced reductions to their overall tobacco control program budgets.

State quitline budgets have continued to decline since this data was collected. As states enact tobacco tax increases this fiscal year to address ongoing budget shortfalls, smokers will undoubtedly turn to quitlines for help. But the services they need may not be available. With reduced funding comes longer hold times for smokers when they call, fewer follow up calls from counselors, and less medication assistance, such as the patch, gum, or lozenge.

“The downward trend in quitline funding is alarming,” said C. Tracy Orleans, PhD, senior scientist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “According to the CDC, more than 40 percent of U.S. smokers try to quit every year, and we know that without assistance most will relapse.1 All smokers and quitters need better knowledge of and access to affordable and effective treatment that can help them live longer, healthier lives.”

Tobacco kills more than 435,000 U.S. residents every year; this represents twice as many deaths as those attributed to alcohol consumption, motor vehicle use, firearms, and illicit drug use combined.3,4 As noted by the CDC, “quitlines are effective in increasing successful quitting and have the potential to reach large numbers of smokers.”1 Also, the U.S. Public Health Service states, “quitlines significantly increase abstinence rates compared to minimal or no counseling interventions” and, “the addition of quitline counseling to medication significantly improves abstinence rates compared to medication alone.”5

The evidence exists to support the investment of a robust, national network of state-run quitlines. Failing to maintain and enhance this investment makes it even more difficult for our nation to meet the national goals of reducing smoking prevalence among adults,6 achieving the associated population and individual health improvements, as well as the budgetary benefits of this prudent investment. Overall, quitlines work—they save both lives and money.

NORTH AMERICAN QUITLINE CONSORTIUM

The North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) is a non-profit organization that strives to promote evidence-based quitline services across diverse communities in North America. By bringing quitline partners together—including state and provincial quitline administrators, researchers, quitline service providers, and national organizations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico—NAQC helps facilitate shared learning and encourages a better understanding of quitline operations, promotions, and effectiveness to enhance overall quitline efforts.

1-800-QUIT-NOW

For access to free quit smoking support, including quit coaching, educational materials, and referrals to local resources, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). This toll-free telephone number connects callers to counseling and information about available quitline services in their states.

References

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs—2007. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; October 2007. Reprinted with corrections.

2 Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, “A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 11 Years Later,” December 9, 2009. See http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements/FY2010/State%20Settlement%20Full%20Report%20FY%202010.pdf (accessed 12/11/09).

3 Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, et al. Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. JAMA 2004;291(10):1238-1245. Correction published in JAMA 2005;293:298.

4 Flegal KM, Graubard BI, Williamson DF, Gail MH. Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity. JAMA 2005;293:1861-1867.

5 Fiore MC, Jaen CR, Baker TB, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. May 2008.

6 Healthy People 2010. Objectives for Improving Health. Tobacco Use. http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/html/Volume2/27tobacco.htm (accessed 1/28/2010).

Idaho Technology, Inc. has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) to develop tests for multiple flu strains on the Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS). The JBAIDS instrument, already widely deployed across the globe, and the suite of flu tests that will result from this effort will be used to test military personnel and their families for Influenza A and B, and subtypes of A.

This latest initiative will replace the CDC Swine flu detection panel on JBAIDS for diagnostic detection of the 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) that was granted by the Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA in August 2009.

Traditional flu testing can take more than 48-hours to diagnose using culture methods; the JBAIDS expanded influenza panel will provide results for six flu targets in less than an hour. This effort may lead to the development of additional infectious disease assays for JBAIDS.

“Testing for infectious disease such as the seasonal flu allows JBAIDS to move into the clinical diagnostics arena. This allows us to provide increased value beyond identifying biological warfare agents of concern to our troops,” said Todd Ritter, chief development officer of Idaho Technology.

A study led by Mayo Clinic suggests remission from Crohn’s disease may be more likely if patients get biologic therapy combined with immune-suppressing drugs first instead of immune-suppressing drugs alone. The study, published in the April 15, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, found treatment of moderate to severe Crohn’s disease with infliximab plus azathioprine allows more patients to achieve remission and mucosal healing than therapy with azathioprine alone.

“These study results are strong enough to change clinical practice,” says William Sandborn, M.D., gastroenterologist and vice chair of the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester. “They have certainly changed mine.”

The researchers in the international, multi-center SONIC (Study of Biologic and Immunomodulator Naive Patients in Crohn’s Disease) study recruited 508 patients with Crohn’s disease who were naive to immunomodulator drugs. The patients were then randomized to treatment: 169 infliximab monotherapy, 170 azathioprine monotherapy, or 169 infliximab plus azathioprine combination therapy. Patients underwent colonoscopies at baseline and again at week 26. Patients still in the trial at week 30 were given the option of continuing in a blinded extension trial for another 20 weeks.

Researchers found that 57 percent of patients who received combination therapy with infliximab and azathioprine achieved steroid-free remission after 26 weeks. This is compared to 44 percent of patients who achieved remission with infliximab monotherapy and 30 percent with azathioprine alone. Both the infliximab combination therapy and infliximab monotherapy groups were statistically superior to the azathioprine group. These results were durable through week 50 and overall results show comparable safety in the three groups.

Historically, patients with Crohn’s disease have been treated sequentially with steroids, then azathioprine, then monoclonal antibodies such as infliximab. The study definitively demonstrates that infliximab-based strategies are more effective than azathioprine, explains Dr. Sandborn.

“Results of this study will provide doctors and their patients with more information on how to use these drugs most appropriately to most effectively treat Crohn’s disease,” says Dr. Sandborn. “For the first time, we have longer term outcome data on the advantages of combination therapy that will help guide our treatment of patients with Crohn’s disease.”

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States. Symptoms include abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and diarrhea. Crohn’s disease has no known medical cure. One common therapy used to manage the disease is a series of intravenous infusions of infliximab, which blocks tumor necrosis factor, an important cause of inflammation in Crohn’s disease. Azathioprine is an orally administered, small molecule immunosuppressive which has a broad immunosuppressive effect.

Each year, physicians at Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota treat approximately 2,000 patients who have Crohn’s disease. For more information on the treatment of Crohn’s disease at Mayo Clinic click this link: http://www.mayoclinic.org/crohns/.

Mayo Clinic’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology has been ranked #1 in U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of Top Hospitals since the rankings began 20 years ago.

Dr. Sandborn provided consulting services for Centocor Ortho Biotech during the course of this research and received no personal compensation. Mayo Clinic received reimbursement for the services provided by Dr. Sandborn.

The payment per claim for prescription drugs used to treat injured workers in Florida was nearly 40 percent higher than in most study states, according to a new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

The 16-state study by the Cambridge, MA-based WCRI found that the average payment per claim for prescription drugs in Florida’s workers’ compensation system was $565—38 percent higher than the median of the study states.

The main reason for the higher prescription costs in Florida was that some physicians wrote prescriptions and dispensed the prescribed medications directly to their patients. When physicians dispensed prescription drugs, they often were paid much more than pharmacies for the same prescription.

The WCRI study, Prescription Benchmarks for Florida, found that some Florida physicians wrote prescriptions more often for certain drugs that were especially profitable. For example, Carisoprodol (Soma®, a muscle relaxant) was prescribed for 11 percent of the Florida injured workers with prescriptions, compared to 2 to 4 percent in most other study states.

Financial incentives may help explain more frequent prescription of the drug, as the study suggested. The price per pill paid to Florida physician dispensers for Carisoprodol was 4 times higher than if the same prescription was filled at pharmacies in the state.

The study reported that the average number of prescriptions per claim in Florida was 17 percent higher than in the median state. Similar results can be seen in the average number of pills per claim.

WCRI also noted that prices paid to Florida pharmacies were at the median of the 16 study states, due to Florida’s typical pharmacy fee schedule, which is set at the level of the Average Wholesale Price.

The WCRI study is the first in an annual series that benchmarks the cost, price and utilization of pharmaceuticals in workers’ compensation.

Workers Compensation Research Institute is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization conducting public policy research on workers’ compensation, healthcare and disability issues. Its members include employers, insurers, insurance regulators and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand as well as several state labor organizations.

To order this report, go to the WCRI web site: www.wcrinet.org.

Childhood obesity rates have risen drastically over recent years. Experts at The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colo., cite a variety of reasons for this increase, including the following:

• Portion sizes have nearly tripled in the last 20 to 30 years
• Kids often drink too many sugar-sweetened beverages
• Recess and physical education have drastically decreased in schools
• Kids eat out more than ever before

With so many risk factors prevalent in today’s society, parents are increasingly concerned about making sure their children don’t fall prey to this alarming trend.

According to Renee Porter, obesity clinical nurse coordinator at The Children’s Hospital, to avoid the serious, often lifelong health risks associated with childhood obesity, parents should focus on prevention. “Parents should focus on being positive with regard to making changes in their homes,” says Porter. “The important thing is for families to feel empowered and confident.”

Prevention can take the form of simple lifestyle changes such as the following eight tips offered by The Children’s Hospital:

• Increase parental involvement at school and at home.
  • Know food and exercise policies at your child’s school and try to influence those policies if there is concern.
  • Don’t send young children to school with money for vending machines.
  • Send lunch to school with your child and involve your child in packing that lunch.
  • Prepare food for the week on Sunday nights.
  • Prepare healthy snacks ahead of time. Cut up fruits and vegetables to “grab and go.”
• Keep it predictable. Setting regular schedules for healthy eating and physical activity is important for children, especially young children, because it makes them feel secure, and they are more likely to adopt them as habits.
• Eat the right breakfast. Skipping breakfast leaves children with an empty stomach and low on energy, but eating the wrong breakfast can be just as bad. Children should eat a breakfast high in protein and fiber and low in sugar.
• Eat at home. Eating out exposes children to unhealthy food choices and inappropriate portion sizes. Children who eat at home are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables than children who eat many of their meals at restaurants.
• Keep it small. Children do not need to eat as much as adults, but parents often feed them as though they do. “I often have to remind parents that a two-year-old needs a different portion size than a 15-year-old,” says Porter.
• Lose the soda. Most kids who drink sugar-sweetened beverages will drink an excess of 200 calories a day, calories that are over and above the daily needs of most children. The problem extends beyond soda to include any sugar-sweetened beverage, including fruit juice drinks. Most fruit drinks contain 10 percent juice and 90 percent water and sugar. Unless children drink 100 percent juice, it is no better than drinking soda, as it is all sweetened with sugar.
• Eat your fruit, don’t drink it. Children who drink fruit juice instead of eating a whole piece of fruit often end up consuming more calories. Solid fruit fills children up more than juice.
• Play outside. “Studies have shown that kids who are more fit do better in school,” says Porter. “We advise parents to promote physical activity by encouraging kids to play outside. This can include any activity, like biking or hiking with the family, but can also include simple outdoor exploration. The important thing is that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. For children more than adults, this is usually divided into many short bursts of activity.”

Nancy Krebs, M.D., director of the clinical nutrition program at The Children’s Hospital, adds, “Parents should be role models with regard to the food choices that are made and provide encouragement to their kids. Children will follow the examples that their parents set.”

According to Juniper Research, revenues from remote patient monitoring using mobile networks will rise to almost $1.9 billion globally by 2014, with heart based monitoring in the US accounting for the bulk of early mobile monitoring roll-outs.

The mHealth report found that mobile healthcare monitoring will demonstrate substantial growth in the US and other developed markets. However, while mobile monitoring will contribute to healthcare cost savings in developed markets, national wealth and the structure of the Healthcare market in a given geographical region will have an important bearing on the extent to which it is rolled out.

Anthony Cox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research said, “In Africa, the opportunities for m-health monitoring will be limited but SMS based education programs will be rolled out there and these can be of great benefit.”

Other areas which will contribute to m-Health revenues include Fitness and Healthcare Smartphone apps and eventually advanced apps which link in to sensors worn on the body.

Further findings from the mobile healthcare report include:

• The market for health and fitness mobile applications will thrive and eventually spawn a new market for advanced apps which integrate sensors worn on the body
• Establishing the correct route to market for those selling m Health services will be key to their success
• In the past eighteen months there has been a renewed interest in m Health from operators globally

The report includes major analysis of the current state of play in the mHealth market and contains six year forecasts for key areas within the mobile health area and associated service revenues. Forecasts include the number of mobile monitoring events, revenues from mobile health monitoring, 2 scenarios detailing cost savings attributable to mobile health monitoring, number of health and fitness application downloads, health and fitness download revenues.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that more than $267 million has been awarded to 28 additional non-profit organizations to establish Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers (RECs). This investment, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will help grow the emerging health information technology (health IT) industry which is expected to support tens of thousands of jobs ranging from nurses and pharmacy techs to IT technicians and trainers.

RECs enable health care practitioners to reach out to a local resource for technical assistance, guidance, and information on best practices. RECs are designed to address unique community requirements and to support and accelerate provider efforts to become meaningful users of electronic health records.

“Health care in our country is community-based. Today’s awards represent our ongoing commitment to make sure that health providers have the necessary support within their communities to maximize the use of health IT to improve the care they provide to their patients,” said Secretary Sebelius.

This round of awards, bringing the total number of REC’s to 60, will provide nationwide outreach and technical support services to at least 100,000 primary care providers and hospitals within two years. The primary care provider is usually the first medical practitioner contacted by a patient. Studies have also found that primary care providers are at the forefront of practicing preventative medicine, a key to improving population health and reducing overall health costs. More than $375 million had been awarded earlier to RECs under this program.

Additionally, all REC awardees, those announced today and the 32 announced on Feb. 12, 2010, now have an opportunity to apply for a two-year expansion supplemental award. The supplemental awards would ensure that health IT support services are available to over 2,000 of the nation’s critical access hospitals and rural hospitals, both defined as having 50 beds or less. Approximately $25 million is available through this supplemental expansion program.

“Regional extension centers will provide the needed hands-on, field support for all health care providers to advance the rapid adoption and use of health IT. RECs are a vital part of our overall efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of health care through the effective use of health IT,” said Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health information technology.

Today’s awards are part of the $2 billion effort by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to achieve widespread meaningful use of health IT and provide use of an electronic health record by every person by the year 2014.

A migraine is not your average headache. The pain of a migraine may feel dull, deep, intense or throbbing. That pain often sends migraine sufferers in search of a dark, quiet place to lie down. Untreated, migraines can last from four to 72 hours.

The April issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource provides an overview of migraine prevalence, causes, triggers, treatments and prevention. Highlights include:

Prevalence: An estimated 30 million Americans cope with migraine. Women outnumber men by 2 or 3 to 1.

Causes: The cause of migraine isn’t fully understood, but both genetic and environmental factors play a role. Migraines often run in families.

Triggers: Many factors or events may trigger an attack, including stress; menstruation; use of oral contraceptives; changes in weather; going too long without eating; lack of sleep or too much sleep; bright lights, glare, loud noises or strong odors; alcohol; caffeine (too much or withdrawal); and certain foods (aged cheese, cured meats, chocolate, fried foods, others).

Medication: For mild to moderate migraine attacks, over-the-counter medications work well. They are most effective when taken as soon as symptoms begin. Options include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve, others), and combination pain relievers such as Excedrin Migraine. For severe headaches, several prescription medications are options, too.

Other treatment: Cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback training and relaxation techniques may make migraine medication more effective or reduce the need for it. Getting enough sleep, sticking with a regular schedule, eating regular meals, staying physically active, limiting alcohol and caffeine and managing stress also are important.

Prevention: Preventive treatment can reduce the headache burden by one-third to one-half or more. A doctor can discuss preventive medications that may be helpful, such as blood pressure medications, antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs. In addition, injections of botulinum toxin type A (Botox) into the scalp muscles can help prevent migraine. Injections need to be repeated every three months. The herbal products feverfew and butterbur may prevent migraine, through the benefits haven’t been proved. Supplements of coenzyme Q10 may also be useful for some people.

Migraine is a chronic condition. Episodes can occur anywhere from one or twice a year to once or twice a week. Symptoms can be controlled by working with a primary health care provider.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of more than $1.84 billion to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS continue to have access to life-saving health care and medications. The grants are funded through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which helps more than half a million individuals every year obtain clinical care, treatment and social support services.

“These grants help ensure Americans, especially those in underserved rural and urban communities, affected by HIV/AIDS get access to the care they need through quality health care and support systems,” Secretary Sebelius said. “The care and services these grants support will help Americans living with HIV/AIDS to live longer, healthier lives.”

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency within HHS, oversees the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which provides funding for health services for people who lack sufficient health care coverage or financial resources to cope with HIV disease.

Approximately $1.145 billion will be sent to States and Territories under Part B of the Ryan White program, with $800 million of that total designated for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). Part B awards also include formula base grants that can be used for home and community-based services, insurance continuation, ADAP assistance, and other direct services. Sixteen states will also receive Emerging Community grants based on the number of AIDS cases over the most recent 5-year period. For a list of Part B awards, visit http://newsroom.hrsa.gov/releases/2010/partb.htm.

A total of $652 million will pay for primary care and support services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS under Part A of the Ryan White program. Part A awards are distributed to eligible metropolitan areas with the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS and to transitional grant areas experiencing increases in HIV/AIDS cases and emerging care needs. The Part A awards include $44.8 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative. For a list of Part A awards, visit http://newsroom.hrsa.gov/releases/2010/parta.htm.

More than $48.1 million will fund early intervention services that support medical, nutritional, psychosocial and other treatments for HIV-positive individuals. These grants, awarded under Part C of the program, go to community-based organizations such as health centers and nonprofit providers of primary health care for people living with HIV. Part C grants also may be used to hire case managers to help patients access care and remain in treatment. Additional Part C grants will be awarded this July. For a list of Part C awards, visit http://newsroom.hrsa.gov/releases/2010/partc.htm.

Seventy-five percent of Part A, B and C funds must be spent on “core medical services,” which include outpatient health services, drug assistance, health insurance payments and medical nutrition therapy. The remaining 25 percent pays for support services that help people living with HIV/AIDS achieve desired medical outcomes. These services include but are not limited to respite care, medical transportation and linguistic services.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced awards to help states facilitate health information exchange and advance health information technology (health IT). Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, today’s awards are part of the $2 billion effort to achieve widespread meaningful use of health IT and provide use of an electronic health record by every citizen by the year 2014. Every state and eligible territory has now been awarded funds under this program.

“These critical investments will help unleash the power of health information technology to cut costs, eliminate paperwork, and help doctors deliver high-quality, coordinated care to patients,” said Secretary Sebelius. “States are important partners in improving and expanding our electronic health records system. By improving the secure exchange of electronic health records between providers and hospitals within and across states, these awards mark a significant step in bringing our health system into the 21^st century.”

The health information exchange HIE awards announced today provide approximately $162 million to 16 states and qualified state designated entities (SDEs) to facilitate non-proprietary health information exchange that adheres to national standards. Health information exchange is critical to enabling care coordination and improving the quality and efficiency of health care.

“Today’s announcement of awards to 16 states and SDEs marks a significant milestone with all states now empowered to start their journey towards identifying innovative ways to break down theses barriers that prevent the seamless exchange of information, so that we can give patients the access to care they deserve and expect,” stated Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health information technology. “States play a critical leadership role in advancing the development of the exchange capacity of healthcare providers and hospitals within their states and across the nation. Health information exchange will enable eligible healthcare providers to be deemed meaningful users of health IT and receive incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive program.”

These cooperative agreements were awarded under the authority of Title XIII of ARRA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act which amends Title XXX of the Public Health Service Act by adding Section 3013, State Grants to Promote Health Information Technology. Section 3013 provides for the awarding of competitive grants to promote health information technology. On February 12, 2010, HHS awarded $385 million to 40 states and SDEs. The awards announced today complete the awarding of cooperative agreements funded by this program.