American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009
On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. A subset of this legislation, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, grants incentive payments to hospitals who meet the requirements of "meaningful use" of "certified EHR technology" (an electronic health record). To be eligible for the incentive payments, hospitals must use the technology in a meaningful manner which includes exchanging electronic health information to improve the quality of care and submitting clinical quality measures and other measures as selected by the Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS). Hospitals must meet the "meaningful use" definition within a specified time frame, which as described in the ARRA, will become increasingly stringent over time.
Beginning in 2010, hospitals using certified EHR systems could receive an estimated $2 million - $11 million over a four year transition period. In order to receive the maximum bonus amounts, hospitals must be "meaningful users" of certified EHR technology by 2013. Start planning now to take advantage of these incentives! Bonus amounts begin decreasing in 2014 and hospitals may receive penalties if they are not "meaningful users" by 2015.
Estimate incentive payments for your hospital
QuadraMed is committed to working with our clients and prospects to implement and achieve meaningful use of certified EHR technology by the ARRA deadlines. Click here to learn more about our "implementation-ready" electronic medical record solution, QuadraMed Computerized Patient Record (QCPR).
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Get grant writing assistance - QuadraMed partnered with Strategic Health Care to provide discounted grant writing consultations for our clients. Strategic Health Care’s Federal Grants Division offers the following services:
- Researching and identifying grant opportunities
- Evaluating a client’s suitability and compatibility with particular grant programs
- Developing a client’s strategic grants plan
- Providing ongoing consulting throughout the grant submission and award process
- Developing and organizing information and data-collection for grant applications
- Assisting/managing/overseeing the completion of complex application forms
- Preparing copy and content for application submissions, proposals, and letters of intent
- Submitting applications on behalf of clients
If you are interested in learning more about Strategic Health Care’s services, please contact Gwen Mathews, VP of Federal Grant and Fund Raising Services, at Gwen.Mathews@shcare.net.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) - ONC is the principal Federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts related to the implementation and use of electronic health information exchange.
Questions? Email us at QuadraMed Information or click here to have a QuadraMed representative contact you.