[Med-privacy] HR 4157

[Peter Marshall]

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Bill to Spur Development of Nationwide Medical E-Record System
  By Kirk J. Nahra and John W. Kuzin
  June 2006 |  Privacy in Focus

On June 15, 2006, both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the 
House Ways and Means Committee approved HR 4157, the Health Information 
Technology Promotion Act, which would encourage the development of a 
nationally compatible system for electronically sharing medical 
records. Such a system is sought to improve communications among 
healthcare providers, help reduce medical errors and lower medical 
costs over the long term.
The Health Information Technology Promotion Act gives the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) authority to enforce a 
uniform set of standards for the information technology used by 
healthcare professionals, which would cover protection of medical 
information in transit between parties and in storage.
Amendments offered in committee that would have required patients to 
first give permission before their data can be shared and to be 
notified if their information is lost or stolen were rejected. The 
House Energy and Commerce Committee, however, did approve an amendment 
requiring HHS' National Health Information Technology Office to seek 
input from other federal agencies on best practices for protecting the 
privacy of health information. Given that the committees approved 
slightly different versions of HR 4157, the legislation will go to the 
Rules Committee before heading to the House floor. Whatever passes the 
House would need to be reconciled with the Senate version of the bill 
that was approved late last year.

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<bold><fontfamily><param>Helvetica</param><color><param>0000,6F6F,7D7D</param><smaller>Bill
to Spur Development of Nationwide Medical E-Record System</smaller></color><smaller>

</smaller></fontfamily></bold><fontfamily><param>Geneva</param><smaller>
By <color><param>0000,6F6F,7D7D</param>Kirk J. Nahra</color> and
<color><param>0000,6F6F,7D7D</param>John W. Kuzin</color>

 June 2006 | 
</smaller></fontfamily><italic><fontfamily><param>Helvetica</param><smaller>Privacy
in
Focus</smaller></fontfamily></italic><fontfamily><param>Geneva</param><smaller> 


On June 15, 2006, both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the
House Ways and Means Committee approved HR 4157, the Health
Information Technology Promotion Act, which would encourage the
development of a nationally compatible system for electronically
sharing medical records. Such a system is sought to improve
communications among healthcare providers, help reduce medical errors
and lower medical costs over the long term.

The Health Information Technology Promotion Act gives the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) authority to enforce a
uniform set of standards for the information technology used by
healthcare professionals, which would cover protection of medical
information in transit between parties and in storage.

Amendments offered in committee that would have required patients to
first give permission before their data can be shared and to be
notified if their information is lost or stolen were rejected. The
House Energy and Commerce Committee, however, did approve an amendment
requiring HHS' National Health Information Technology Office to seek
input from other federal agencies on best practices for protecting the
privacy of health information. Given that the committees approved
slightly different versions of HR 4157, the legislation will go to the
Rules Committee before heading to the House floor. Whatever passes the
House would need to be reconciled with the Senate version of the bill
that was approved late last year.

</smaller></fontfamily>
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