The health care reform law is massive, and it will take time for employers to develop appropriate plans for compliance. The first transformative step in health care reform actually started with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which included the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act). The HITECH Act set the course for implementing a nationwide network of electronic health records (EHRs). One of the main goals of the HITECH Act is to ensure privacy and security.  Why might this be important to a business that is not a health care provider?  To find out, join the Kentucky Chamber’s webinar, Health Care Reform Update for Employers, on December 16, 2010, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm (EST). The first part of the webinar will focus on the employer and its HR department, looking at the new laws and discussing what decisions an employer must consider in light of these new laws. Jason Lee, Esq., a member of the Tax, Business & Personal Planning Service Team at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, will lead this discussion, which also will include an overview of tax credits and penalties, as well the changes in effect now and those coming in the future, for employers. The second part of the webinar will focus on the changes that occurred last year with the passage of the HITECH Act.   Kathie McDonald-McClure, Esq., Editor of the HITECH Law Blog and a partner with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, will lead this discussion. She will highlight certain provisions of the HITECH Act’s new privacy and security provisions that will have an immediate and direct impact on certain businesses, including those that do not directly provide any health care. For more information, and to sign up, click here.