Legislative & Policy Center

Legislative Action

112th Congress
- Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act of 2011
- Behavioral Health Information Technology Act of 2011
111^thCongress
- HITECH
  - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("stimulus package or ARRA") and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) included $19 billion to modernize health information technology and offered Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for physicians and hospitals for the purchase and adoption of health IT.
  - Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs offer qualified doctors and other eligible professionals incentive payments totaling as much as $44,000 through Medicare or $63,750 through Medicaid who adopt and implement certified electronic health record technology and demonstrate “meaningful use”.
    - Who are eligible providers/professionals?
    - Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs Website
  - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is charged with establishing the Incentive Program. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and the Health IT Policy and Standards Committees are assisting with developing criteria and quality measures for reporting meaningful use for 2011 and beyond.
- Promotion of Health Information Technology Act (2008)
- Wired for Health Care Quality Act (2007)
- Medicare Telehealth Improvement Act (2008)

Meaningful Use
- Meaningful Use Stage One Criteria
- CMS EHR Incentive Program (Meaningful Use) Final Rule
Quality Measures
- CMS Nursing Home Quality Measures
- NQF Quality Measures
- Meaningful Use Quality Measures
- ACO Quality Measures
Health Information Exchange
- Beacon Communities
- Regional Extension Centers
- Challenge Grant Recipients
State Issues
Workforce
Certification
- The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology 2011 Long Term and Post Acute Care EHR certification program
- CCHIT LTPAC EHR “Core”
  - Add-ons:
    - Skilled Nursing Facility
    - Home Health