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Senate proposes EHR fix for physicians, patients
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The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions unanimously recommended a measure today that would improve the use of electronic health records for the benefit of health care providers and patients.
“This is some of the most important work that this committee has done — to call attention to the electronic medical record system being in a ditch,” Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said during an executive session. Alexander noted that President Barack Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative, a national research effort to support individualized treatment, “absolutely depends on electronic medical records.”
Lamar Alexander
Patty Murray
The “Improving Health Information Technology Act” (S. 2511), sponsored by Sens. Alexander and Patty Murray, D-Wash., has five primary objectives: to decrease unnecessary documentation; allow providers to understand more about the health IT products they purchase; reduce information blocking between providers; promote interoperability between systems; and enable patients to have easier access to their own health records.
Committee member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said he had several outstanding concerns about the bill.
Sheldon Whitehouse
“One, we’ve got to provide a lot more support for the health information exchanges, rather than just continuing with meaningful use,” Whitehouse said. “Two, we’ve got to address privacy issues that are bedeviling these systems; and finally, we need to do something for behavioral health and for nursing homes, which are outside of the Meaningful Use parameters.”
Murray added that EHRs can make “lifesaving differences” for patients, and stressed the importance of streamlining their use.
“I’m glad we’re able today to advance legislation that will help make sure our health IT system works better for patients and providers,” she said.