What is the HITECH Act? 2024 Update

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, incentivised the use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and strengthened the privacy and security provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It also introduced tougher penalties for HIPAA compliance failures and extended HIPAA’s reach to Business Associates of Covered Entities. The Act’s five goals are to improve healthcare quality, efficiency and safety, engage patients in their care, increase care coordination, improve population health and ensure privacy and security.