U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow Tours Marquette General Hospital, Outlines Health Tech' Legislative Proposal
Legislation would spur use of new information technologies in the health care industry
Marquette General Hospital is at the forefront of a high-tech movement to improve health care and lower costs, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) said today. MGH's cutting-edge patient services, from its telemedicine outreach to its wireless links that enable emergency personnel to retrieve patient records while the patient is en route to the hospital, are great examples of the kinds of high-tech services that she is promoting with her "health tech" legislation, introduced earlier this summer.
Stabenow was in Marquette today to tour the hospital, in particular the hospital's new Emergency Department and Trauma Center, and to discuss future plans and future needs with hospital officials. In her fight to improve health care, Stabenow has helped secure more than $1.155 million for Marquette General in the past four years.
"Marquette General Hospital is leading the way in wiring' the U.P. with a network of medical services," Stabenow said. "They have created an innovative approach to providing health care to the entire U.P., and I'm proud to be working with them to build this state-of-the-art health care network."
While Marquette General Hospital is a leader in implementing high-tech enhancements, Stabenow noted that the health care industry has generally lagged behind other industries in the use of informational technology. As a result, she has introduced legislation, - the Health Information Technology Act - that would promote this kind of cutting edge health care nationwide.
Stabenow's legislation would foster such use through grants, adjustments to Medicare payments, and tax incentives. It would promote computer hardware and software upgrades, enhanced computer storage and communications, and new technologies, such as electronic health records and automated pharmacy dispensing.
In addition to improving patient care, Stabenow's bill could potentially save as much as $300 billion annually in the nation's ever-rising health care costs because using more technology would lower administrative costs, which currently make up as much as $.31 of each health care dollar spent. "The skyrocketing cost of health care directly threatens American families by making basic care and health insurance more expensive," Stabenow said. "Our rising health care costs also add to manufacturing costs, making American businesses less competitive in the international marketplace."
"This legislation is designed to make new technologies and services more affordable for our health care providers, ultimately reducing costs and improving patient care," Stabenow said.
In other news for the Marquette area, Stabenow noted that she successfully fought to secure $1.2 million this year for the Marquette County Transit Authority, bringing to more the $5.2 million the funding obtained for the project. In addition, the recently approved highway bill also includes $13.28 million to pave H-58 at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
http://stabenow.senate.gov/press/2005/081705MarquetteEvent.htm