Robert Rehm's Article "Improve Your HITECH IQ" Published by North Carolina Medical Group Managers
Raleigh, NC (February 22, 2011) – "Improve Your HITECH IQ" by Robert Rehm, a partner in Smith Anderson’s Intellectual Property practice group, has been published in the First Quarter 2011 issue of North Carolina MGM News, a newsletter created and distributed by the North Carolina Medical Group Managers, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. In an effort to improve the quality of health care services provided in the United States, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ("HITECH Act"), which was enacted in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, provides monetary incentives to health care practices and practitioners that transition from paper health records to electronic health records ("EHR").
Such a transition typically requires health care practices and practitioners to license customized software applications from software vendors. Rehm's article provides practical information on how to select an appropriate vendor and tips on negotiating a license agreement with the vendor that facilitates the EHR transition without shortchanging the rights, or unreasonably expanding the liability exposure, of the health care practice or practitioner.
Rehm regularly represents a variety of clients in connection with software-related transactions, such as license agreements, due diligence investigations and intellectual property audits directed to software-based assets, source code escrow arrangements, and other transactions involving commercialization of software products and related assets. His practice generally focuses on technology licensing and commercialization and the acquisition, licensing and protection of patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property rights. An important part of Rehm's practice involves helping health care clients integrate software-based technologies, including those directed to EHR, into their respective practices. Rehm was a practicing electrical engineer for 16 years prior to embarking on a legal career.
