On Feb. 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known as the federal stimulus law, which included tens of billions of dollars to promote implementation and utilization of information technology in healthcare delivery. The major part of stimulus law-funded health IT promotions is the $27 billion electronic health-record incentive programs under the Medicare, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage programs. But to qualify and receive subsidy payments for their IT investments, hospitals and physicians are required to prove the “meaningful use” of their EHR systems. The meaningful use of certified EHR technology is a core requirement for healthcare providers looking to qualify for the incentive payments. In July 2010, the CMS issued the final rules, setting criteria that providers need to meet, and the schedule to meet them, to qualify for the subsidies.

Tournament Results:

• Round 1: Beat Allowing Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans to convert to for-profit status
• Round 2: Lost To The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's comparative-effectiveness research initiative