Overview[]
The Electronic Health Records Program (EHR Program) was established by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The EHR Program provides incentive payments from 2011 through 2016 to Medicare physicians that adopt and "meaningfully use" certified EHR technology, which includes electronic prescribing technological capabilities. Beginning in 2015, the EHR Program may apply a payment adjustment, or penalty, on eligible providers that do not adopt and meaningfully use certified EHR technology.