Category: HITECH

Navigate HITECH compliance with resources on electronic health record adoption, expanded HIPAA privacy/security rules, breach notification requirements, and enforcement penalties.

How The Healthcare Industry Can Improve Their IT Security
The healthcare industry has made major advances in patient care. Today, lifesaving devices like pacemakers and insulin pumps are connected to the internet. Physicians can remotely monitor heart rhythms and receive alerts before a medical emergency occurs. However, this connectivity creates new cybersecurity risks. If a medical device is connected to a network, it can be hacked. Security researchers have demonstrated how pacemakers could be remotely manipulated. Unlike financial fraud, cyberattacks on connected medical devices can have life-threatening consequences. Healthcare IT security is no longer just about protecting data, it is about protecting lives.

Even when attacks do not directly impact medical devices, they often expose sensitive patient information. Stolen healthcare data can be used for:
- Identity theft
- Tax fraud
- Insurance fraud
- Prescription abuse and resale
The stakes in healthcare cybersecurity are higher than in almost any other industry. (more…)
February 16, 2026
Main Goals of HITECH: Everything You Need to Know
Understanding HITECH Act Goals starts with looking back at 2009. That year, the Obama administration passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to stimulate the U.S. economy following the Great Recession.

As part of that legislation, lawmakers introduced the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act to modernize healthcare data systems and strengthen patient privacy protections under HIPAA.

The primary goals of the HITECH Act were twofold:
- Accelerate the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs)
- Strengthen the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI)
However, the HITECH Act goals extend far beyond digitization. The law reshaped healthcare compliance, increased enforcement penalties, and expanded HIPAA requirements for business associates.

Below, we break down the main goals of the HITECH Act and what they mean for healthcare organizations today. (more…)
February 16, 2026
Does HITECH Affect HIPAA?

Over the past three decades, America has been transformed by revolutionary technologies such as the internet, PC, laptop, and mobile phone. New tech ushered the world into the Information Age, creating a paradigm shift in how data and information could be logged, stored, and shared. This change completely altered the face of the American economy; and in the space of a few years, digital electronics became an essential facet of business life. Few industries were as fundamentally impacted by this shift as the healthcare industry. Seeing this, the U.S. government created security measures to protect private electronic patient info. They started with HIPAA in 1996, which then received a much-needed update more than a decade later with the HITECH Act. Naturally, you might wonder, how does HITECH act affect HIPAA? Below, we’ll answer that question and others related to both information security regulations. (more…)

January 21, 2026
Major Components of the HITECH Act: What You Should Know

Patients’ medical records are some of the most attractive targets for theft. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) designated them as protected health information (PHI) in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and laid out measures to ensure their safety. Later, the HITECH Act of 2009 updated these safeguards for the modern era. But what are the major components of the HITECH Act? (more…)

February 25, 2024
What is HITECH Act & Why is the HITECH Act Important?

From 1996 to 2009, U.S. healthcare organizations operated under a strict regulatory act known as HIPAA. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, intended to protect patient health data, make health insurance affordable, and to simplify hospital administrative procedures.

As the years progressed, loopholes arose, electronic systems (which were supposed to be incorporated) were ignored, and the U.S. healthcare infrastructure was in jeopardy of falling behind. Not to say that HIPAA was a failure, but after 13 years in operation, it was in desperate need of an update. In 2009, Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) to give HIPAA the update it needed. HITECH closed loopholes and encouraged the adoption of electronic health records by enforcing stricter guidelines and increasingly high noncompliance fees.

Now, to avoid facing penalties, healthcare providers and subsidiary companies must be HITECH compliant. But what does that entail? Read ahead to find out.

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July 23, 2022
Your Guide to HITECH Compliance Requirements

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) presides overall healthcare and patient safety matters to “enhance the health and well-being of all Americans.” Extending this protection to patients’ health information, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) set baseline requirements for how hospitals and doctors process data. In 2009, HITECH compliance requirements expanded these protections to meet evolving threats of cybercrime.

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March 15, 2021
Pros and Cons of the HITECH Act

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, has shaped how cybersecurity works in the healthcare industry for a quarter-century. In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) changed how HIPAA works.

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March 3, 2021
What are the HITECH Safety Measures?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, more commonly known as HIPAA, has had immense impacts on the domestic and global healthcare industry. Over a decade later, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanded HIPAA’s protections with the publication of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). But what are the HITECH safety measures? In other words, what do you need to do to fully secure your company and its stakeholders? Keep reading to find out.

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March 2, 2021
Overview of the HITECH Security Standards Rule

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) drafted the original Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996. HIPAA designated patients’ medical data as “protected health information” (PHI) and developed security standards to safeguard it. Later, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) added several HITECH security standards to broaden these increasingly digital landscape protections.

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February 26, 2021
What Does the HITECH Act Do?

The HITECH Act (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) was created to promote the need for health information technology as the use of EHRS (electronic health records) becomes the standard. It is part of an economic stimulus package – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – that was passed and signed into law in 2009.

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February 14, 2020