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Abstract: 

This article examines the important ways in which jail correctional health programs can now benefit from provisions of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) that provide generous cash incentives for health providers who migrate to and share data electronic health records (EHRs). Under the original HITECH provisions, jails were excluded from participation; but passage of the ACA, which included the expansion of Medicaid to individuals based solely on income, had the effect of lifting the prohibition on CMS payments to programs treating inmates. Jails now can enjoy significant new funding under the revised criteria. This article explains, in detail, how.

Keywords: HITECH Act; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; electronic health records (EHRs); Medicare Meaningful Use program; 90/10 funding; Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Affiliations:  1: Community Oriented Correctional Health Services.