HITECH Act of 2009: Purpose, Problems, and Impact on Healthcare

This report examines the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009. The report highlights the Act's primary goals, including improving healthcare quality, patient engagement, and care coordination, as well as the importance of patient data security. The author identifies that the Act aims to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare by promoting the use of electronic health records and other technological advancements. However, the report also discusses a significant concern: the potential for misuse of patient data due to security vulnerabilities. The report emphasizes the need for robust security measures to protect patient information. Finally, the report discusses the implications of the HITECH Act for nursing practice, specifically addressing how nurses must be aware of the security and privacy of patient data.

Running head: PURPOSES OF HITECH ACT 2009
PURPOSES OF HITECH ACT 2009
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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PURPOSES OF HITECH ACT 2009
Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act 2009
was established with the aim of the improvement of the health care related factors for the US
population. In this regards it has been seen that the HITECH Act 2009 focuses on 5 set goals
such as the improve quality, safety and efficiency; engage patients in their care; increase
coordination of care; improve the health status of the population; and ensure privacy and security
(HHS.gov, 2020). On this context it has been seen that the legislation is solely focused on the
effective health care access and quality improvement for the population. On this context it can
also be seen that the legislation focused on availability of the electronic or computer-based health
care system to every general physician as well for the improved care delivery. Thus, based on
this HITECH Act 2009 it can be stated that the quality and access improvement of the health
care is the primary focus along with the security improvement of the data of the patients.
Now, the Legislation has been developed for the improvement of the care procedures of
the US health care system. However, the security improvement factor can be a problem as the
access to the data is uncontrolled. Moreover, the factor of the access towards the data and misuse
of the data is possible if the restriction of the access cannot be developed properly (Reamer,
2018). Thus, the main issue of the legislation is not focusing on the policy of proper security
development of the health care data.

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PURPOSES OF HITECH ACT 2009
References
HHS.gov. (2020). HITECH Act Enforcement Interim Final Rule. Retrieved 26 January 2020,
from https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/hitech-act-enforcement-
interim-final-rule/index.html
Reamer, F. G. (2018). Ethical issues in integrated health care: implications for social workers.
Health & social work, 43(2), 118-124.