Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 123.djvu/267

123STA T . 2 47PUBLIC LA W 111 –5—FE B. 17 , 2 0 0 9el e ctroni c h e a lth recor ds, into a p ro v ider ’ s deliver y o f care, consistent w ith b est practices learned fro m the H ealth I nforma - tion T echnolo g y R esearch C enter developed u nder section 3012( b ) , including community health centers receiving assist- ance under section 330, covered entities under section 3 4 0 B , and providers participating in one or more of the programs under titles XV III, XIX, and XXI of the S ocial Security A ct (relating to M edicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance P rogram) .‘ ‘(4) Infrastructure and tools for the promotion of telemedi- cine, including coordination among F ederal agencies in the promotion of telemedicine. ‘‘( 5 ) Promotion of the interoperability of clinical data reposi- tories or registries. ‘‘( 6 ) Promotion of technologies and best practices that enhance the protection of health information by all holders of individually identifiable health information. ‘‘( 7 ) Improvement and e x pansion of the use of health information technology by public health departments. ‘‘(b) C O O RDINAT ION. — The Secretary shall ensure funds under this section are used in a coordinated manner with other health information promotion activities. ‘‘(c) ADDITIONA LUSE O F F U NDS.—In addition to using funds as provided in subsection (a), the Secretary may use amounts appro- priated under section 301 8 to carry out health information tech- nology activities that are provided for under laws in effect on the date of the enactment of this title. ‘‘(d) STANDARDS FOR A CQ UISITION OF HEALT H INFOR M ATION TECHNOLO GY .—To the greatest extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure that where funds are expended under this section for the ac q uisition of health information technology, such funds shall be used to acquire health information technology that meets applicable standards adopted under section 3004. W here it is not practicable to expend funds on health information technology that meets such applicable standards, the Secretary shall ensure that such health information technology meets applicable standards otherwise adopted by the Secretary. ‘ ‘ SEC.3012 . H E ALT H INFORM ATION TECHNOLO GY IM P LEMENTATION ASSISTANCE. ‘‘(a) HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EX TENSION PRO- GRAM.—To assist health care providers to adopt, implement, and effectively use certified EHR technology that allows for the elec- tronic exchange and use of health information, the Secretary, acting through the O ffice of the N ational Coordinator, shall establish a health information technology extension program to provide health information technology assistance services to be carried out through the D epartment of Health and Human Services. The National Coordinator shall consult with other Federal agencies with demonstrated experience and expertise in information tech- nology services, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in developing and implementing this program. ‘‘(b) HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall create a Health Information Technology Research Center (in this section referred to as the ‘Center’) to provide technical assistance and develop or recogni z e best practices to support and accelerate Establi s hmen t .Co ns u ltation. 42US C 30 0 j j – 32.