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Healthcare Reform makes uptake of healthcare IT more pressing, says Congress Rep. Patrick Kennedy

While speaking at the opening session of the annual National Health IT Week sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and other public and private sector organizations, Health IT experts on Capitol Hill pledged to keep pushing for  IT measures in healthcare reform and other pending legislation, despite the commitment already included in the economic stimulus package. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), co-chair of Congress' 21st Century Health Care Caucus, said healthcare providers would continue to need support via legislation, grants, and agency guidance, especially with the logistics of applying for funding and adopting electronic health records. "We need to really get the money out to the states and providers," he said. "(Providers) need to know what the triggers are for getting the money and how to apply for it." he added.

The lawmakers concluded that they want to make sure that the funding continues to be available even with health IT provisions in the stimulus and reform bills. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) at the briefing session said that congress must be committed to driving the use of health IT broadly across the healthcare industry and as deeply into hospitals and physician practices. "We have to make sure we are not lifting all boats just a little bit," Whitehouse said. "Across all other industries, we have seen how information infrastructure works for the American consumer."

This year's Health IT Week is more significant as it takes place in the middle of healthcare reform debate and the planning for health IT projects under ARRA. "Imagine what we could achieve for our nation's healthcare system by implementing even a few health information technology initiatives,"  Rep.Kennedy said. He also explained the benefit of using health IT to help bring the latest evidence-based medical information to physicians at the point of care.

Barry Chaiken, MD, HIMSS board chairman and chief medical officer of DocsNetwork Ltd says that along with the Health IT week, the HIMMS members will be visiting congressional offices to push for more funding for health IT, as well as health information exchanges and best practices in treatment. Mere installation of EMR/EHR s at physician offices wont create a comprehensive system, rather they should be able to share information with other systems to gather all the pertinent information of patient care with other providers about their treatments, he said.

Source: Healthcare IT news