HHS accepts HIT standards, now eligible for safe harbors

After a year of review, HHS has formally recognized a set of health IT standards for laboratory results reporting, public health reporting for biosurveillance and consumer management of their own records. Now that the standards have been finalized, federal agencies are required to incorporate them into new systems or upgrades; also, any products they buy must comply with the standards. Not only that, agency contractors must do the same.

What's more interesting about this recognition is that not will federal agencies have to embrace the new standards, private entities get a bonus too. Product complying with the newly-blessed standards now qualify for exceptions to the Stark and anti-kickback laws.

To find out more about the standards:
- read this Government Health IT piece

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