HITECH: Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH Act, was passed into law as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("the stimulus bill").

HITECH has greatly expanded HIPAA regulations:

• New Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information
• Broadening the scope of Security and Privacy rules to apply not just to Covered Entities, but also to Business Associates and 3rd Party Providers of Personal Health Records (PHRs)
• Increasing enforcement of information breaches with significantly greater financial penalties
• New Breach Notification requirements, including new FTC Breach Notification regulations for 3rd Party Providers of PHR
• Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Program
• New Security Standards and Implementation Specifications for Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and EHR systems
• New Certification Criteria for Certified EHR Technology, Implementation, and Meaningful Use 

HITECH has literally changed the rules.

Gray Matter Consulting can help keep you informed, assist your organization achieve and maintain compliance with the still-evolving regulations, and lead your implementation of Certified Electronic Health Record Technology in order to receive financial incentives for Meaningful Use of EHRs.