legislation news from FierceHealthIT
News
Senate approves HIT fund
Last week, the Senate approved a budget amendment that would create a reserve fund for health IT legislation. Without getting too deep into procedural stuff, the net effect of the amendment will be... Read more...
ALSO NOTED: NJ Blue plan sees laptop-based data loss; Democratic coalition stumps for e-prescribing; and much more...
> New Jersey's largest health insurance plan is warning the public that personal information on about 300,000 members was lost when a laptop was stolen. Read more...
More posturing on the HIE front
I'm glad to hear, Gov. Corzine, that you're about to sign legislation that will push New Jersey further in the directing of creation statewide health information sharing. From where I sit, it seems... Read more...
Study: Current health IT bills won't do the trick
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund suggests that the current crop of Congressional proposals to promote health IT aren't equipped to make much of a difference in adoption rates. The report,... Read more...
Consumer, biz groups push pro-EMR legislation
A trio of advocacy groups--including the AARP, the Service Employees International Union and the Business Roundtable--have begun a lobbying effort encouraging Congress to push EMR adoption. In a joint statement, the groups cited a 2005 study by RAND which estimated that the health system would save as much $165 billion if providers adopted health IT more broadly. The groups have asked legislators to pass legislation immediately which would give all Americans access to secure EMRs. The …
... Read more...Health IT not playing key role in P4P
In theory, payers include smart use of technology in their standards for handing out pay-for-performance bonuses. In reality, however, they aren't paying that much attention to IT adoption, according to a new study by analyst firm Health Industry Insights. The study, which surveyed 57 U.S. health plans with P4P programs planned or underway, found that when provided with a list of seven factors needed for P4P success, payers ranked physician IT adoption near the bottom, at …
... Read more...2007 a tough year for health IT legislation?
Many healthcare policy wonks are speculating that 2007 will be a big year for health IT legislation. Observers say that while some health IT measures got stuck on the Hill in 2006, in the coming year legislators are likely to see health IT as a priority. With the private sector signaling that it's more than ready for health IT change--supporting data-driven initiatives such as PHRs, EMRs and pay-for-performance schemes--legislators have gotten the message that the market is ready to …
... Read more...