On February 13, 2009, the House and the Senate released the conference agreement on H.R. 1, American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The conference agreement, which provides a total of $789.5 billion in spending and tax cuts, involved negotiations between Democratic congressional members and the three Republican Senators, Susan Collins (R-ME), Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), and Arlen Spector (R-PA).  The compromise resulted in an economic stimulus agreement that is $29.5 billion less than set forth in the House bill and $48.5 billion less than in the most recent Senate version of the stimulus package.  The legislation includes $301.1 billion in tax cuts and $311 billion in discretionary appropriations.

This memorandum provides a summary of the health information technology (HIT) provisions of the conference agreement.  Specifically, we have outlined the provisions which will provide physicians and hospitals with funds for the implementation and development of HIT.  In addition, we have provided a side-by-side chart that highlights the changes that the stimulus package will have on the privacy laws under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).  If you have any questions concerning this memorandum or would like additional detail regarding these provisions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

—Excerpt taken from Alston & Bird. The complete memorandum may be seen here. Complete Memorandum