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The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was signed into law on February 17, 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and provides HHS with the authority to establish programs to improve health care quality, safety, and efficiency through the promotion of health information technology (HIT), including electronic health records and private and secure electronic health information exchange. Under HITECH, eligible health care professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified EHR technology and use it to achieve specified objectives.
The criteria for Meaningful Use are designed to become increasingly more stringent over (at least) three stages. The longer a provider or hospital waits to implement electronic health record (EHR) technology, the faster the provider or hospital will need to move through the stages to continue receiving incentive payments and avoid penalties. |
