HITECH Act - $19 billion

Congress incorporated the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act into the President’s economic stimulus bill. The new law provides $19 billion to standardize and secure the creation, access, and sharing of electronic health information, a vital component of health care reform. The law also includes financial incentives for health care providers to use electronic health records (EHR). The new law provides stricter enforcement of security requirements than the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This will also help boost public confidence in how health records are used, disclosed, and protected.