Retired Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon Says Bill Will Improve Medical Record-Keeping, Help Eliminate Errors

 

 

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Charles W. Boustany, Jr. today said the Health Information Technology Promotion Act (H.R. 4157), which the House passed today, will help reduce medical errors and improve medical treatment and record-keeping. 

 

“During my career as a cardio-thoracic surgeon, I saw too many patients waste valuable time on duplicative paperwork,” said Boustany.  “The need for progress became undeniable when Hurricanes Rita and Katrina destroyed thousands of patient records.  Immediately after the disaster, I saw many evacuees present themselves in makeshift clinics with little or no medical history to guide their health providers.  In fact, many displaced Gulf Coast residents still lack any medical record.”

 

“Our nation leads the world in medical research and innovation, but American patients still remain trapped in a paper-based system that leads to duplicative tests and avoidable medical errors,” added Boustany.  “This legislation is a significant step in removing many of the barriers that have prevented health information technology from being implemented.”

 

Among other things, the Health Information Technology Promotion Act (H.R. 4157) does the following:

 

• Updates outdated diagnosis coding systems for the 21^st century;
• Promotes cooperation between states and the federal government to increase the security of medical records;
• Provides grants to promote the use of health information technology in small physician practices and for the uninsured; and
• Provides for a national framework for the use of interoperable health information technology.

 

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