Which legislation expanded the role of technology in healthcare payment systems?

The legislation that expanded the role of technology in healthcare payment systems is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. This act, passed in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, aimed to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. One of its key components was the financial incentive for healthcare providers to utilize electronic health records (EHRs) and demonstrate meaningful use to improve patient care and streamline payment processes.

HITECH also enhanced the standards for privacy and security of health information, thereby making the use of technology more integral to how healthcare payment systems operate. By encouraging healthcare organizations to implement advanced information systems, HITECH effectively transformed the landscape of healthcare payments, including billing and claims processing, improving efficiency and accuracy.

The other pieces of legislation listed, such as HIPAA, focus on the privacy and security of health data, but they do not specifically emphasize the technological advancements in payment systems. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) relates to corporate governance and financial practices for publicly traded companies and does not pertain to healthcare technology directly. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) deals with the confidentiality of student education records and is outside the scope of healthcare