FROM THE FOUNDATION

The Social Life of Health Information

A new Pew Internet/CHCF national survey finds the Internet has joined doctors and family members as one of the top three ways people search for answer to their health care questions.

Evaluating One-e-App

CHCF and The California Endowment funded the development of One-e-App, a Web-based program that enables users to apply for multiple public insurance programs at once. Read a business case assessment by The Lewin Group.

Privacy, Security, and the Stimulus Bill

The recently enacted economic stimulus legislation includes a number of improvements to federal health privacy law. This brief looks at issues of privacy and security in the wake of ARRA.

Policy

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Kerry Stumps for Legislation To Boost Health IT Adoption

At Partners HealthCare's Center for Connected Health conference in Boston this week, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) called for funding through direct grants and other methods to promote health care IT adoption, InformationWeek's "CIOs Uncensored" reports.

Despite bipartisan support, about a dozen health care IT bills have stalled in Congress over the last few years.

According to Kerry, "the most significant bill to pass" promoting the use of health IT is a new Medicare rule that requires participating physicians to electronically prescribe by 2012.

Some health care industry stakeholders believe that a change in Washington leadership could facilitate the passage of health care IT legislation next year, InformationWeek's "CIOs Uncensored" reports. The new legislation could provide grants to help fund health IT adoption or change Medicare reimbursements to reward physicians for health IT use (Kolbasuk McGee, "CIOs Uncensored," InformationWeek, 10/28).



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