The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) mandates audits of health care providers to investigate HIPAA compliance and is part of which larger recovery act enacted in 2009?

• A. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2009
• B. HIPAA Privacy Rule
• C. E-Government Act
• D. Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how HITECH is positioned within broader federal legislation and its purpose to strengthen HIPAA enforcement. HITECH was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a large recovery act that coupled economic stimulus with provisions to promote health information technology adoption and enhance privacy and security protections for health information. By tying HITECH to ARRA, the law expanded HIPAA enforcement through stronger audits and penalties and supported the shift to electronic health records. The other options refer to HIPAA components or unrelated federal acts, not the 2009 recovery act that included HITECH.