New Democrat Coalition Co-Chairs Back The Health Information Technology Promotion Act

WASHINGTON, DC-- Today, the Co-Chairs of the House New Democrat Coalition; Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) made strides toward improving a healthcare system that is plagued by risisng costs and declining quality of care by voting for H.R.4157, The Health Information Technology Promotion Act.

"Even though the United States has the most advanced medical care in the world, our healthcare system is still stuck in the past, remaining heavily reliant on inefficient paper based prescriptions and record keeping.  The Co-Chairs of the NDC and I recognize the deficiency in the system and believe this act will improve the quality of care, improve the efficiency of the system and reduce overall healthcare costs by investing in information technology," said Rep. Tauscher.

The legislation, which was unanimously passed by the Senate, would accelerate the adoption of health information technology standards, foster the development of a national information exchange system, and encourage health information technology in the private sector.  These aspects of the bill are all important first steps in advancing health information technology, cutting costs, streamlining a deficient system, and most importantly, improving care.

"Under the current paper-based healthcare system, patients and their doctors lack instant access to medical information," said Rep. Smith. "This lack of connectivity and shared knowledge leads to medical errors, increased costs, and inefficiency.  The integration of Health IT into our health care system can be an efficient tool for brining the cost inflation of health care under control. I have long been an advocate for Health IT and I think it's critical that Congress takes the necessary steps to ensure the growth and development of Health IT."

H.R. 4157 passed by a final vote of 270-148, and while the co-chairs supported the final passage, they feel the bill can and should be improved, hoping that the bills flaws are corrected in conference with the Senate.  The Co-Chairs are encouraged the House finally took action on health IT legislation, and believe passage of HR 4157 is an important first step in advancing health information technology. An expanded use of health information technology will help patients and their families assume a more participatory role in their own health care, improve the safety and quality of care, and increase system efficiency, and passage of HR 4157 represents a first step towards making that happen.

"America's doctors, nurses, and patients deserve 21st century technology for our nation's health care system, and I believe it is long past time for Congress to be acting on this issue," stated Rep. Kind.  "As the representative of a rural district in Wisconsin, I am especially pleased with the assistance to rural or underserved urban areas for the implementation of electronic medical records. While New Democrats are pleased the bill is moving forward, we are disappointed that negotiations were not done in a more bipartisan manner and remain hopeful that when the House and Senate meet in conference, members will take a hard look at strengthening further the bill's privacy provisions."

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