Research HITECH Legislation: Electronic Health Records

HITECH Legislation
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HITECH Legislation
The HITECH legislation is an act signed into law in 2009 to encourage and incentivize the use of electronic health records. It affects organizations, both positively and negatively. One of the benefits of HITECH is an increase in revenue. Improved charge capture, less billing errors, and improved flow of cash led to an increase in the revenue. Another advantage is the aversion of costs. Electronic health records provide efficiencies by enabling the creation of patient information that is electronically accessible. In addition, the utilization of tests is optimal, reduction of staff resources and supply costs. Finally, electronic health records facilitate better legal and regulatory compliance. There is an improvement in security of patient data, hence increasing patient privacy and confidentiality (Robichau, 2014).
The incentives of HITECH encourage more hospitals to adopt the use of electronic health records. According to Davis and LaCour (2014), there is $1 billion available for renovation of health centers and acquisition of health IT systems. The incentives also speed up the adoption of health information technology. Incentives, such as money, off...