First few Article Sentences
Over the past two years, health reform legislation and the stimulus bill called for the establishment of a number of healthcare-related programs that will require new organizational structures, from accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes to health information exchanges. Chartered through the Health Information Technology and Economic Clinical Health (HITECH) provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) program is an unprecedented effort by the US government to transition paper-based healthcare to electronic health record (EHR) systems. The program’s goal is to furnish technical assistance to help healthcare providers select, implement, and meaningfully use certified EHR technology to improve healthcare.