The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. The Recovery Act of 2009 provides major opportunities for the improvement of our nation's health care through health information technology (also known as Health IT or HIT.) More information about Health IT and its benefits, may be found in the sections "Health Information Technology" in the Related Links Outside CMS section below.
There are three main areas pertaining to Health IT in the Recovery Act that involve the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS):
Health IT Incentives and Support for Adoption
Establishment of Health IT Standards and Infrastructure
Privacy Security Pertaining to Health IT
Health IT Incentives and Support for Adoption The Medicare and Medicaid Health IT provisions in the Recovery Act provide incentives and support for the adoption of certified electronic health records (EHRs). The Recovery Act authorizes bonus payments for eligible professionals and hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid if they become meaningful users of certified EHRs. These bonus payments will help lessen the financial burden for many healthcare providers to adopt this technology.
The incentive bonuses will begin in 2011. Beginning in 2015, the Recovery Act mandates penalties under Medicare for eligible professionals and hospitals that fail to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHRs. CMS is overseeing and administering the incentive program and is coordinating with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
Establishment of Health IT Standards and Infrastructure ONC is leading the effort to establish an initial set of Health IT and EHR standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria. These items will explain how to meet the incentive requirements of "certified EHR" and "meaningful use." CMS is contributing to this effort. More information on these topics is available in the section "Health IT/Recovery Act" in the Related Links Outside CMS section below.
Privacy & Security Pertaining to Health IT Patient privacy and security is an important part of Health IT. The HHS Office of Civil Rights, with assistance from CMS and ONC are working to implement the Recovery Act provisions. More information on privacy and security related to Health IT is available in the section "Health IT/Privacy and Security" and "HHS Office of Civil Rights" in the Related Links Outside CMS section below.
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