New Act Aims to Modernize Senior Record Systems

The CHARTS Act looks to help home health providers adopt electronic health records

By Michelle Love

The Connecting Health and Records Technology for Seniors (CHARTS) Act (HR 9844) was introduced in the House on July 22. The legislation aims to help long-term and post-acute care providers modernize patient record systems, improve care coordination and ensure America’s seniors receive safer, more connected healthcare.

What does it do?

The CHARTS Act would establish a competitive pilot grant program through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help long-term and post-acute care providers purchase and implement electronic health record (EHR) systems.

Specifically, the CHARTS Act would:

Authorize $5 million annually in fiscal year 2027 and fiscal year 2028 for competitive grants to eligible providers
Award grants of up to $500,000 to help providers purchase and implement electronic health record systems
Improve communication and real-time information sharing between hospitals, nursing facilities, home health agencies, physicians and other healthcare providers
Support better care coordination, reduce duplicative services, strengthen medication management and improve clinical decision-making
Require HHS to report back to Congress on how the program improves patient outcomes and recommend whether the initiative should be expanded

Voices of Support

“Healthcare doesn’t stop when a patient leaves the hospital, and neither should access to their medical records. Too many seniors experience fragmented care simply because the providers caring for them don’t have the tools to communicate effectively with one another. Whether someone is transitioning from a hospital to a rehabilitation facility, a nursing home or receiving care at home, their health information should move with them. The CHARTS Act is a commonsense investment that will improve care, reduce unnecessary costs and give healthcare professionals more time to focus on what matters most: their patients.” —Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, Bill Sponsor

“Many nursing facilities and home health agencies have faced financial and operational barriers to adopting or optimizing EHR technology. This grant program represents a meaningful step toward closing that gap—supporting providers in delivering more coordinated, data-driven and high-quality care to the patients and residents they serve.” — Genice Hornberger, President of the Board of Directors of ADVION, an advocacy group for professional medical services and product suppliers

Background

When Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, hospitals and physician practices received federal incentives to adopt electronic health records (EHRs). Long-term care providers, including skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and home health agencies, were largely left out. As a result, many facilities caring for older Americans have had to rely on outdated systems.