HITECH-ARRA Implementation Stages
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) promises financial incentives to hospitals that adopt electronic health records (EHRs) and use them to improve the quality of care. These incentives will be awarded on a staggered timetable during which hospitals must demonstrate the “meaningful use” of EHRs in their organizations.
Electronically capture health information in a standardized format
|
More rigorous health information exchange (HIE) between hospitals, physicians and other health care providers |
Improving quality, safety and efficiency, leading to improved health outcomes |
Using that information to track key clinical conditions
|
Increased requirements for e-prescribing and incorporating lab results
|
Decision support for national high-priority conditions |
| Communicating that information for care coordination processes |
Electronic transmission of patient care summaries across multiple settings |
Patient access to self-management tools |
| Initiating the reporting of clinical quality measures and public health information |
More patient-controlled data |
Access to comprehensive patient data through patient-centered HIE
|
| Using information to engage patients and their families in their care |
|
Improving population health |
Definition of "Meaningful Use"
The Department of Health and Human Services has published its final definition of "meaningful use" as it pertains to Stage 2 implementation. 
Read the final rule for Stage 2 meaningful use »
Stage 1 Implementation Progress Report
In November 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a progress report on Stage 1 implementation. Key findings include:
- 17% of eligible U.S. hospitals have now met and successfully attesting to demonstrating meaningful use of EHRs
- Most performed well above minimum performance threshholds and are on track to meet Stage 2 requirements
