Frequently Asked Questions: General
Where can the ARRA legislation be found?
Where in the ARRA are the provisions related to HIT
located?
How can up-to-date information about HIT and the ARRA be
obtained?
When will the HIT funding begin to flow to the States?
Does the State of Wisconsin have any specific plans for
the HIT funding it receives?
Answers
Where can the ARRA legislation be found?
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h1enr.txt.pdf
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Where in the ARRA are the provisions related to HIT located?
The provisions are located in two different sections of the ARRA. Most of the
HIT provisions are found in Division A, Title XIII of the ARRA (pp. 112-165).
The provisions regarding Medicare and Medicaid HIT incentives for hospitals and
eligible professionals are located in Division B, Title IV (pp. 353-382).
Together, these two titles constitute the Heath Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of the ARRA.
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How can up-to-date information about HIT and the ARRA be
obtained?
Go to http://www.hhs.gov/recovery,
click on "get email updates," and
follow the instructions to subscribe to the email subscription service.
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When will the HIT funding begin to flow to the States?
The U.S. DHHS released its ARRA implementation plans for the Office of the
National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology and the Medicare
and Medicaid Incentives and Administrative Funding on May 15, 2009. The plans
primarily outline immediate actions such as planning, policy, and rule making
needed to meet statutory requirements. The ONC plan did not provide any
information on when funding would begin to flow to the States, but it appears
funding under the ONC plan will not flow for HIT programs specified in the ARRA
any earlier than the beginning of federal fiscal year 2010, i.e., October 1, 2009.
The Medicare incentive payment program for eligible hospitals will begin October
1, 2010, while the Medicare incentive payment program for physicians and the
Medicaid incentive payment program for hospitals and eligible professionals will
begin January 1, 2011. Go to http://www.hhs.gov/recovery
to see the complete
text of the implementation plans. Links to the plans are also available at http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ehealth/federalfunding.
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Does the State of Wisconsin have any specific plans for the
HIT funding it receives?
The State's eHealth Action Plan has two immediate goals: statewide adoption and
use of electronic health records (EHRs) by providers and development and
implementation of a statewide health information exchange (HIE) architecture.
Since a significant amount of incentive funding in the ARRA is for providers to
adopt and use certified EHR technology that must be connected in a way that
provides for the electronic exchange of health information, the planning,
design, and development of the statewide HIE architecture and infrastructure is
an essential next step in Wisconsin. All the key stakeholders in the State,
including public health, will be involved in this effort. Until the State
receives more information about the funding to be distributed, the application
process, and the terms and conditions for using the funding, the State does not
know whether there will be any sub-granting of funding it receives and, at this
time, is unable to make any commitments to specific HIT projects.
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Last Revised: July 12, 2010 | 
