Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - June 26, 2007)

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Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about my commitment to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care in this Nation.

Some of the most serious challenges facing health care today, medical errors, inconsistent quality, and rising costs, can be addressed through the effective application of available health information technology linking all elements of the health care system. Information sharing networks have the potential to enable decision support anywhere at any time, thus improving the quality of health care and reducing costs.

But what does this mean for patients? Well, first of all, the widespread use of health IT would allow medical data to move with people as they move. When someone goes to the doctor's office, he or she won't have to take the clipboard and write down everything they can remember about themselves. Better use of health IT also would cut down on medical errors with prescriptions, instead of trying to decipher the doctor's handwriting, a pharmacist could access the prescription information electronically.

The widespread use of health IT could also save lives. If someone is traveling and gets in a car wreck or gets hurt in some other way, the emergency room doctor would be able to find out everything he or she needs to know to make the right treatment decisions. If someone falls into a coma and can't tell a doctor or nurse about their medications, being able to access an electronic medical record could prevent dangerous drug reactions.

Beyond saving lives and saving time, more effective use of health IT also could save us a lot of money. A Rand study suggested that health IT has the potential to save the health care system $162 billion a year. In order for these savings to be realized, we must create an infrastructure for interoperability. The bill I am introducing today is the first step toward building that infrastructure.

Last Congress, the Senate unanimously passed the Wired for Health Care Quality Act, which I wrote with Senator KENNEDY. We have worked with Senator HATCH and Senator CLINTON and are introducing an updated bill today. We plan to bring this revised bill before our committee this Wednesday.

This legislation addresses one of the primary barriers to widespread adoption of interoperable health IT, which is the lack of agreed-upon standards, common implementation guides, and a certification process. The bill directs the Secretary to establish and chair the public-private American Health Information Collaborative, which is composed of representatives of the public and private sectors. The greatest improvements in quality of health care and cost savings will be realized when all elements of the health care system are electronically connected and speak a common technical language; that is, they are interoperable.

In order to address the health information technology ``adoption gap'' in the U.S., the bill authorizes three grant programs that will carefully target financial support to health care providers and consortia for the purpose
of facilitating the adoption of interoperable health information technology.

Another barrier to greater adoption is cultural. I recognize that many physicians and hospitals are hesitant to move from paper-based systems to electronic systems. Some physicians have been writing prescriptions by hand for many years and may resist changing to electronic prescribing. One way to address this cultural barrier is to support teaching hospitals that integrate health information technology in the clinical education of health care professionals. Exposing students and residents to effective everyday uses of health IT will lead to a greater adoption by these students and residents when they graduate and begin practicing on their own.

The wise deployment of health IT is also critical for effective response in public health emergencies. Interoperable health IT systems will help to track infectious disease outbreaks and increase the Federal Government's rapid response in emergency situations.

I am eager to work with members of the Finance Committee to ensure we produce a bill that will pass the Senate unanimously once again this Congress. This bill ensures that avenues to measure and report the quality of care are available through health information technology. Improving the quality of care provided in this country is one of my top legislative priorities.

I look forward to passing this important legislation, which will help facilitate the widespread adoption of electronic health records to ultimately result in fewer mistakes, lower costs, better care, and greater patient participation in their health and well being. This is a great stride forward in the journey to improve our Nation's health care system. I look forward to seeing meaningful health information technology legislation signed into law this Congress.

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