Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§300jj–19a Electronic Health Record Reporting Program

Title 42 › CHAPTER 6A — PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER XXVIII — HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND QUALITY › Part A — Promotion of Health Information Technology › § 300jj–19a

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

Requires the Secretary to set up a public process to make rules for reporting how well electronic health record (EHR) technology works. The Secretary must bring together many kinds of people and groups within 1 year after December 13, 2016 to help write the rules. The rules must measure things like security, ease of use, ability to share data, and whether the technology meets certification tests. The rules can also cover common tasks such as ordering and viewing lab and imaging tests, using registries, exchanging data with health information exchanges, devices, government agencies, other providers, and patients, giving patients a computable copy of their records, and matching the right data to the right patient. The rules must avoid unfairly hurting small or startup developers. The Secretary can update the rules after more public input. Also within 1 year after December 13, 2016, the Secretary must competitively fund independent groups to run a reporting program, gather information and confidential feedback from users and developers, and make summary and detailed reports. Grant periods may be up to 2 years. Priority goes to groups with expertise in usability, interoperability, and security. The Secretary must review performance of those groups not later than 4 years after December 13, 2016 and every 2 years after that, and can renew or change awards. Grants cannot go to EHR vendors, their affiliates, or state or local government agencies. Developers of certified EHRs must answer the reporting questions as a condition of keeping certification. The reports and the reporting rules must be published on the Office of the National Coordinator’s website, and developers can review reports about their products before they are posted. The Secretary may add more online resources and partner with private experts.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §300jj–19a

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Reporting criteria

(1)Convening of stakeholders

Not later than 1 year after December 13, 2016, the Secretary shall convene stakeholders, as described in paragraph (2), for the purpose of developing the reporting criteria in accordance with paragraph (3).

(2)Development of reporting criteria

The reporting criteria under this subsection shall be developed through a public, transparent process that reflects input from relevant stakeholders, including—

(A)health care providers, including primary care and specialty care health care professionals;

(B)hospitals and hospital systems;

(C)health information technology developers;

(D)patients, consumers, and their advocates;

(E)data sharing networks, such as health information exchanges;

(F)authorized certification bodies and testing laboratories;

(G)security experts;

(H)relevant manufacturers of medical devices;

(I)experts in health information technology market economics;

(J)public and private entities engaged in the evaluation of health information technology performance;

(K)quality organizations, including the consensus based entity described in section 1395aaa of this title;

(L)experts in human factors engineering and the measurement of user-centered design; and

(M)other entities or individuals, as the Secretary determines appropriate.

(3)Considerations for reporting criteria

The reporting criteria developed under this subsection— (A)

(B)may include categories such as—

(i)enabling the user to order and view the results of laboratory tests, imaging tests, and other diagnostic tests;

(ii)submitting, editing, and retrieving data from registries such as clinician-led clinical data registries;

(iii)accessing and exchanging information and data from and through health information exchanges;

(iv)accessing and exchanging information and data from medical devices;

(v)accessing and exchanging information and data held by Federal, State, and local agencies and other applicable entities useful to a health care provider or other applicable user in the furtherance of patient care;

(vi)accessing and exchanging information from other health care providers or applicable users;

(vii)accessing and exchanging patient generated information;

(viii)providing the patient or an authorized designee with a complete copy of their health information from an electronic record in a computable format;

(ix)providing accurate patient information for the correct patient, including exchanging such information, and avoiding the duplication of patients records; and

(x)other categories regarding performance, accessibility, as the Secretary determines appropriate; and

(C)shall be designed to ensure that small and startup health information technology developers are not unduly disadvantaged by the reporting criteria.

(4)Modifications

After the reporting criteria have been developed under paragraph (3), the Secretary may convene stakeholders and conduct a public comment period for the purpose of modifying the reporting criteria developed under such paragraph.

(b)Participation

As a condition of maintaining certification under section 300jj–11(c)(5)(D) of this title, a developer of certified electronic health records shall submit to an appropriate recipient of a grant, contract, or agreement under subsection (c)(1) responses to the criteria developed under subsection (a), with respect to all certified technology offered by such developer.

(c)Reporting program

(1)In general

Not later than 1 year after December 13, 2016, the Secretary shall award grants, contracts, or agreements to independent entities on a competitive basis to support the convening of stakeholders as described in subsection (a)(2), collect the information required to be reported in accordance with the criteria established as described subsection (a)(3), and develop and implement a process in accordance with paragraph (5) and report such information to the Secretary.

(2)Applications

An independent entity that seeks a grant, contract, or agreement under this subsection shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require, including a description of— (A)

(B)if applicable, the intended focus on a specific subset of certified electronic health record technology users, such as health care providers, including primary care, specialty care, and care provided in rural settings; hospitals and hospital systems; and patients, consumers, and patients and consumer advocates;

(C)the plan for widely distributing reports described in paragraph (6);

(D)the period for which the grant, contract, or agreement is requested, which may be up to 2 years; and

(E)the budget for reporting program participation, and whether the eligible independent entity intends to continue participation after the period of the grant, contract, or agreement.

(3)Considerations for independent entities

In awarding grants, contracts, and agreements under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to independent entities with appropriate expertise in health information technology usability, interoperability, and security (especially entities with such expertise in electronic health records) with respect to—

(A)health care providers, including primary care, specialty care, and care provided in rural settings;

(B)hospitals and hospital systems; and

(C)patients, consumers, and patient and consumer advocates.

(4)Limitations

(A)Assessment and redetermination

Not later than 4 years after December 13, 2016, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with stakeholders, shall—

(i)assess performance of the recipients of the grants, contracts, and agreements under paragraph (1) based on quality and usability of reports described in paragraph (6); and

(ii)re-determine grants, contracts, and agreements as necessary.

(B)Prohibitions on participation

The Secretary may not award a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under paragraph (1) to—

(i)a proprietor of certified health information technology or a business affiliate of such a proprietor;

(ii)a developer of certified health information technology; or

(iii)a State or local government agency.

(5)Feedback

Based on reporting criteria established under subsection (a), the recipients of grants, contracts, and agreements under paragraph (1) shall develop and implement a process to collect and verify confidential feedback on such criteria from—

(A)health care providers, patients, and other users of certified electronic health record technology; and

(B)developers of certified electronic health record technology.

(6)Reports

(A)Development of reports

Each recipient of a grant, contract, or agreement under paragraph (1) shall report on the information reported to such recipient pursuant to subsection (a) and the user feedback collected under paragraph (5) by preparing summary reports and detailed reports of such information.

(B)Distribution of reports

Each recipient of a grant, contract, or agreement under paragraph (1) shall submit the reports prepared under subparagraph (A) to the Secretary for public distribution in accordance with subsection (d).

(d)Publication

The Secretary shall distribute widely, as appropriate, and publish, on the Internet website of the Office of the National Coordinator— (1)

(2)the summary and detailed reports under subsection (c)(6).

(e)Review

Each recipient of a grant, contract, or agreement under paragraph (1) shall develop and implement a process through which participating electronic health record technology developers may review and recommend changes to the reports created under subsection (c)(6) for products developed by such developer prior to the publication of such report under subsection (d).

(f)Additional resources

The Secretary may provide additional resources on the Internet website of the Office of the National Coordinator to better inform consumers of health information technology. Such reports may be carried out through partnerships with private organizations with appropriate expertise.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 300jj–19a

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110