It’s no secret that managing PHI electronically is far more efficient that maintaining paper-only records. However, digitizing data and implementing secure electronic solutions can be complex and expensive. That’s why, in 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) legislation was created. President Obama signed HITECH into law as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
HITECH was meant to encourage those in the healthcare industry to adopt electronic health records (EHR) to reduce spending on health services by increasing efficiency. Initially, HITECH offered financial incentives for those organizations that were early adopters. In addition, HITECH requires that those in the healthcare industry adopt certain levels of EHR usage.