Congress: Current Legislation
Congress: Current Legislative Developments
eHI Consensus Legislation Released for Public Review: the eHealth Initiative is in the public review stage of a member-driven process to create consensus across multiple stakeholders in healthcare regarding the specific actions that Congress can and should take to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of American healthcare through information and information technology—in a way that is responsible, sustainable, responsive to each stakeholder’s needs, and which builds and maintains the public’s trust. The legislation, as of July, is now available for review by all interested parties (Last updated July 9) Click here for more information.
eHI Submits Testimony to House Energy & Commerce Committee on HIT Legislation: On June 3, eHI submitted testimony to the E&C Committee on the Committee's health IT draft legislation, providing comments based on eHI's ongoing experience in working with a wide range of health care stakeholders in drafting consensus health IT legislation. (Last updated June 17) Click here for a PDF of eHI's testimony.
House Energy & Commerce Committee Considers Health IT Draft Legislation: On May 22, the House Energy & Commerce Committee released a discussion draft of a new health information technology bill. The legislation draws from a number of existing bills as well as some new concepts in its attempt at building a comprehensive approach to promoting the utilization and financing of health information technology. (Last updated June 16) Click here for more information.
Congressional Budget Office Issues Landmark Report on Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology: On Tuesday, May 20, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its long-awaited report on health IT, providing some context and few answers while raising a whole host of new questions about the future of CBO’s scoring methodology regarding health IT. As the federal office that estimates the financial impact of proposed legislation, its “scores,” or cost estimations, have a significant impact on the fate of health IT bills. (Last updated May 21) Click here for more information about the report.
Privacy Re-Emerges in the Senate: The revised text of the Leahy amendment, available here, would strike a provision within Wired which would have effectively made some HIT or PHR vendors and possibly HIEs become covered entities under the HIPAA. The amendment would define more succinctly marketing practices as addressed by the HIPAA regulations, allowing consumers the right to chose whether or not their health information is used for marketing purposes. The amendment also allows individuals to receive an electronic copy of their personal health information if their provider, or any other covered entity holding their personal health information to the extent feasible, is holding that information in an electronic format.
The Senate's Wired Act: On Hold, or Not' - Many stakeholders across Washington D.C. have been laboring under the belief that Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) placed an official "hold" on the Wired for Health Care Quality Act, preventing it from reaching the Senate floor last year... More>>
Congress Clears Omnibus Legislation Funding HHS and Other Federal Programs for FY08 - Before Congress recessed for the Holidays on December 19th, The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 was passed. Included in the legislation was the Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act of 2008, the bill which sets the amounts of appropriated funds that will be given to HHS and its agencies for fiscal year (FY) 2008... More>>
Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on ePrescribing - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Senator Tom Colburn (R-OK) held a hearing on December 4th focusing on the current challenges surrounding the development and adoption of regulations to permit the electronic prescribing of controlled substances... More>>
ePrescribing Legislation Introduced in the Senate - Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), John Ensign (R-NV), John Sununu (R-NH) and Mel Martinez (R-FL) introduced a bill last week that would provide many healthcare providers with financial incentives for the use of ePrescribing systems in their offices... More>>
Health IT Legislative Outlook - With a limited amount of time left before legislators adjourn for the year and officially close the 110th Congress, the future of health IT legislation still remains unclear. Senate leaders may make a third possible attempt to pass the Wired for Health Care Quality Act this coming week... More>>
eHealth Initiative Releases 110th Congress Legislative Crosswalk - click to view eHI's overview of legislation from the 110th Congress
Updated Text of Wired for Health Care Qualty Act of 2007 - Members can click here to read the newest draft of the Wired Act. This requires a member login.
Update on "Promoting Health Information Technology Act" - Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) recently introduced HR.3800, "Promoting Health Information Technology Act", as a match to the Senate's "Wired for Health Care Quality Act" (S.1693)... More>>
House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing Wednesday - The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on Wednesday, October 24 entitled "Why has the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting (NASPER) Act Not Been Implemented'" The hearing will focus on HR.1132, the "Prescription Electronic Reporting Act", passed by the 109th Congress... More>>
Health IT and Quality Provisions included in House SCHIP Reauthorization Bill - With the September 30th expiration date of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) looming, and members of the House and Senate eager to leave Washington during August recess, reauthorization bills were passed separately in both chambers last week. The House version contained provisions related to health IT (HIT) and quality measures under the Medicare program... More>>
Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Leahy (D-VT) Introduce Patient Privacy Protection Bill - Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Judiciary Committee Chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced a bill on July 18th aimed at adding privacy protections for electronic patient medical records... More>>
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) Propose HIT-Related Amendment to SCHIP - Senator Stabenow and Senator Snowe, who co-chair an HIT caucus in the Senate, proposed an amendment to the Senate's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization bill... More>>
Representative Moore (R-KS) Introduces Health Records Trust Bill - On July 11, Representative Dennis Moore, a Congressman from Kansas, introduced the Independent Health Record Trust Act of 2007. The bill, H.R. 2991, would establish through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) a network of certified health record "trusts" for the purpose of storing individual electronic health records (EHRs). ...More>>
Senate HELP Committee Votes Unanimously to Approve "Wired for Health Care Quality Act of 2007" (S.1693) On June 27, the Senate HELP committee voted unanimously to move S.1693 out of committee clearing the way for a full Senate vote. The bill, sponsored by Senators Kennedy (D-MA), Enzi (R-WY), Hatch (R-UT) and Clinton (D-NY), was introduced June 24th. Two amendments that were schedule to be heard during the markup were dismissed as Senator Kennedy urged Senators Dodd (D-CT) and Reed (D-RI) to raise their amendments on the Senate floor... More>>
To download a copy of S.1693 without amendments, click here.
To read a detailed summary of the of the draft bill click here.
To view eHI's comments on the earlier draft bill click here
Secretary Leavitt Comments on Wired Act and Opposes Some Provisions - HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Tuesday June 26, the day before the committee was scheduled to mark up the Wired for Health Care Quality Act (S. 1693). In the letter, the Secretary noted that "this legislation, as presently drafted, would create significant barriers to continued progress already underway."... MORE>>
Iraq Supplemental Spending Bill Includes Provision on ePrescribing - The Iraq war supplemental appropriations bill that was signed into law last month included a provision which will affect the way physicians are reimbursed when prescribing medication under the Medicaid program... More>>
Congressman Wu's "10,000 by 2010" Bill Passed by House - The House approved on a voice vote Wednesday H.R. 1467, Congressman David Wu’s (D-OR) “10,000 by 2010” legislation. The bill is designed to increase the amount of health informatics-focused curriculum in higher education institutions... More>>
Congressman Gordon Introduces Patient I.T. Integration Bill: Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology ,has introduced legislation (HR 2406) that would authorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish standards and guidelines for interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs)... More>>
