Despite the new projects, the ONC plans this year to continue to support the burgeoning groups of health care organizations across the country that are joining together to share regional patient data electronically, Cronin said.

There are about 66 regional health information organizations (RHIO), and they are either in the planning stages or have begun to share patient data electronically, she said. In addition, 30 states have introduced or passed legislation that supports the statewide adoption of health-related IT.

However, there is a lack of guidance about how to cost effectively replicate RHIOs across communities, Cronin said. The ONC this year will study RHIOs that are working to connect health care organizations across states and develop best practices that other fledgling RHIOs can use to launch operations.