Early Results of the Meaningful Use Program for Electronic Health Records

Abstract

In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act established Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs to encourage the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by hospitals and eligible professionals. Under Medicare, eligible professionals who show “meaningful use” of certified EHRs are eligible for payments up to $44,000, whereas eligible professionals who do not are subject to penalties after 2015.^1,2