HITECH Act
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, promotes the meaningful use of health information technology. It strengthens HIPAA enforcement, establishes breach notification requirements for unsecured protected health information, increases penalties for HIPAA violations, and extends HIPAA requirements directly to business associates.
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Framework Domains (4)
Subtitle A — Promotion of Health Information Technology
Establishment of ONC, health IT standards, and meaningful use incentives
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| HITECH-A-01 | Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) |
| HITECH-A-02 | HIT Standards Committee |
| HITECH-A-03 | Health IT Certification |
| HITECH-A-04 | Meaningful Use Requirements |
| HITECH-A-05 | Health Information Exchange Standards |
Subtitle B — Testing of Health IT
Testing, interoperability, and research network provisions
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| HITECH-B-01 | National Health IT Research Center |
| HITECH-B-02 | Health IT Regional Extension Centers |
| HITECH-B-03 | Interoperability Testing |
Subtitle C — Other Provisions
Workforce development, grants, and infrastructure
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| HITECH-C-01 | Health IT Workforce Development |
| HITECH-C-02 | State Health IT Grants |
Subtitle D — Privacy and Security Provisions
Enhanced privacy and security requirements, breach notification, and enforcement
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| HITECH-D-01 | Breach Notification Requirements |
| HITECH-D-02 | Business Associate Direct Liability |
| HITECH-D-03 | Increased Civil Monetary Penalties |
| HITECH-D-04 | State Attorney General Enforcement |
| HITECH-D-05 | Accounting of Disclosures |
| HITECH-D-06 | Minimum Necessary Standard Strengthening |
| HITECH-D-07 | Prohibition on Sale of PHI |
| HITECH-D-08 | Individual Right to Electronic Copy |
| HITECH-D-09 | Restriction on Disclosures to Health Plans |
| HITECH-D-10 | EHR Security Requirements |
Maps to 506 other frameworks
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HITECH Act?
HITECH Act is a compliance framework from United States with 4 domains and 20 controls. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, promotes the meaningful use of health information technology. It strengthens HIPAA enforcement, establishes breach notification requirements for unsecured protected health information, increases penalties for HIPAA violations, and extends HIPAA requirements directly to business associates. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
How many controls does HITECH Act have?
HITECH Act has 20 controls organised across 4 domains. The largest domains are Subtitle D — Privacy and Security Provisions (10 controls), Subtitle A — Promotion of Health Information Technology (5 controls), Subtitle B — Testing of Health IT (3 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
What frameworks does HITECH Act map to?
HITECH Act maps to 506 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are CISA Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPG) 2.0 (25% coverage), TEFCA — Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (25% coverage), Rhode Island Data Transparency and Privacy Protection Act (RIDTPPA) (25% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.
How do I get started with HITECH Act compliance?
Start your HITECH Act compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about HITECH Act requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 20 controls and track your progress.
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