Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Senate that includes increasing the adoption of IT among health providers who treat low-income patients and providing grant funds for IT projects, Government Health IT reports.
The Wired for Health Care Quality Act of 2007 is sponsored by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). The bill is similar to legislation that was introduced in November 2005; the effort died when the House and Senate could not agree on a compromised bill before Congress adjourned in 2006 (Ferris, Government Health IT, 6/22).
The bill over fiscal years 2008 through 2012 would authorize $163 million in grant funds to low-income health providers to adopt IT, help states create low-interest loan programs to help providers acquire IT and assist regional and local health information organizations, Health Data Management reports.
The bill also would give an unspecified amount of funds to demonstration initiatives that would combine IT and clinical education. Congress still must approve the grant funds annually, even if the bill is passed.
The legislation also would establish an organization, called the Partnership for Health Care Improvement, to recommend to HHS data standards, interoperability and certification criteria for health IT. The bill also would:
- Make the national coordinator of health IT a permanent post;
- Establish the American Health Information Community as a recommendation group for HHS, a function the panel already serves;
- Require methods for notifying patients about data breaches; and
- Require the HHS secretary to designate an organization for developing health performance measures (Health Data Management, 6/22).