American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) Practice Exam

What did ARRA and HITECH aim to promote?

1. Reduction in healthcare costs

2. Adoption and meaningful use of health information technology

3. Standardization of healthcare services

4. Evaluation of electronic health records

The correct answer is: Adoption and meaningful use of health information technology

The correct answer focuses on the core purpose of both the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which is to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. These pieces of legislation were primarily designed to incentivize healthcare providers to use electronic health records (EHRs) effectively, thereby facilitating improved patient care, enhancing healthcare efficiency, and ensuring that data could be shared across different systems. The idea of "meaningful use" goes beyond simply adopting EHRs; it emphasizes using these systems in ways that significantly improve healthcare quality, reduce errors, and enhance the patients' overall experience. While reduction in healthcare costs, standardization of healthcare services, and evaluation of electronic health records are relevant topics in the healthcare landscape, they do not encapsulate the primary goal of ARRA and HITECH. These laws are specifically focused on the integration of technology into healthcare practices to transform how medical information is recorded, shared, and utilized, fundamentally improving the delivery of healthcare services.