On June 16, 2009, the federal Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committee met to begin defining what constitutes "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which authorizes Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments to eligible health care providers who demonstrate "meaningful use" of a certified EHR. At the June 16, 2009 meeting, the Committee received recommendations from its Meaningful Use Workgroup on the definition of meaningful use, and the Committee is accepting comments on the Workgroup’s update until June 26, 2009. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expects to issue a proposed rule later this year on the incentive program and the definition of meaningful use, and the public will have another opportunity to comment at that time.