Stimulus Package Provides Incentives for the Use of Health Information Technology, Electronic Health Records

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, passed by Congress on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009, includes the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the HITECH Act). The purpose of the HITECH Act is to promote the use of health information technology with a goal of utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014. The Act provides incentives to physicians and hospitals to adopt and use certified electronic health records (or EHR) technology.

Participation in the incentives is voluntary; however, the Act contains penalties for physicians and hospitals who do not adopt use of EHR by 2015. The penalties reduce Medicare payments physicians and hospitals would otherwise receive by percentages on an increasing scale for each year the physician or hospital does not adopt use of EHR.

For Additional information:

http://www.wallerlaw.com/articles/2009/02/14/stimulus-package-provides-incentives-for-the-use-of-health-information-technology-electronic-health-records.8163

http://govhealthit.com/articles/2009/01/19/new-stimulus-bill-contains-complete-health-it-act.aspx

Full text of HITECH Act:
http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/HealthIT%20Bill.pdf