Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has announced he would include $30 million in his budget to fund grants and provide tax breaks to increase the use of electronic health records in Wisconsin. Under Doyle’s proposal, $20 million in grants will be available for not-for-profit organizations and $10 million will be used to fund tax breaks for for-profit entities. Doyle indicated that the challenge will be to have technologies in place that allow all systems to communicate quickly about patient care while ensuring confidentiality. “We applaud Gov. Doyle’s proposal to provide funding to healthcare providers,” said Wisconsin Hospital Association president Steve Brenton. “This aspect of his plan is especially important in rural areas to ensure that they are not locked out of the statewide implementation plan because of finances.”
