WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Renee Ellmers released the following statement following this morning's Small Business Subcommittee hearing on Healthcare and Technology:

“As a registered nurse and the wife of a surgeon, I know firsthand how a modern and well-equipped office is vital to the practice of medicine. Patients deserve no less than the best in services and treatment from their physician—and healthcare IT plays a major role in this. Digitizing records can increase efficiency and patient care while decreasing medical errors and paperwork."

“Small medical practices should not be left in the dark on transitioning to more modern record-keeping practices. We must help to remove the barriers facing small practices so they too are able to offer the latest in health IT for their patients—while ensuring the information is secure and privacy is protected. As Chairwoman of the Healthcare and Technology Subcommittee, I will continue to investigate all avenues to remove federal barriers holding back small practices from moving to the next level in digital record keeping.”

Healthcare and Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC) today held a hearing to examine the barriers small medical practices face in adopting health information technology (health IT). In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only an estimated 25 percent of office-based physicians had a fully functional Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, and 10 percent had a basic EHR system. Studies have also shown that there is a substantial digital divide between large and small medical practices.

To view Chairwoman Ellmers' opening statement, witness testimony and related hearing documents, click here.

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For more information, please visit Congresswoman Ellmers’ website at www.ellmers.house.gov or call (202) 225-4531.

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