Under HITECH, which organization administers incentives that require certified EHR use?

• A. CMS
• B. FDA
• C. NIH
• D. USPTO

Answer: (A)

Incentives under HITECH are administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which is the part of the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS runs the EHR Incentive Programs that reward eligible professionals and eligible hospitals for using certified electronic health record technology to demonstrate meaningful use. This financing motive is designed to push providers toward standardized, interoperable EHRs to improve care quality and efficiency.

FDA, NIH, and USPTO have different roles—FDA regulates medical devices and drugs, NIH funds biomedical research, and USPTO handles patents and trademarks—so they do not administer these EHR incentives.