Health Information Technology Promotion Act of 2006

HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROMOTION ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - July 27, 2006)

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Mr. RUSH. Mr. Chairman, I was disappointed with this bill during the mark-up in the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I remain disappointed with the final version on the floor today. With information technology, this Congress has an opportunity to revolutionize the way health care is delivered in this country, but this bill is weak and it merely props up the status quo. And, Mr. Chairman, this bill could actually make things worse.

My main concern is that underserved communities would not be a part of the health care information technology revolution. Too often communities such as those I represent where a disproportionate number are minority Americans and are the last to garner the benefits of new technological developments. As such, it is vital that any serious HIT bill have a funding component that aids low income providers. Unfortunately, this bill does virtually nothing to address this very serious problem.

Nor does this bill have adequate requirements for interoperability which is, of course, a very huge flaw. Many low-income residents in densely populated urban environments do not have a primary care doctor that serves as a consistent medical provider. Instead, these citizens often go from provider to provider, from clinic to clinic, and receive their health care only sporadically. As such, it is vital that all of these providers are connected to interoperable information systems, such that they are all able to communicate with each other and share necessary medical information. Without interoperability requirements, we are left with the possibility of a network of fragmented health care delivery systems that are not able to talk to each other and coordinate care.

Mr. Chairman, I must oppose this bill, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it also.

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