Government
Bill would help doctors adopt HIT
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 28, 2005
Reps. John McHugh (R, N.Y.) and Charles Gonzalez (D, Texas) have introduced legislation designed to facilitate broader adoption of health information technology in physicians' offices. The National Health Information Incentive Act would help create national standards for interoperability and establish pilot projects to test the functionality of systems. The bill also contains financial incentives to help small practices afford the upfront cost of purchasing and installing these systems.
"Before America's patients can truly reap the benefits of health information technology, it must be available and working where most people receive care," said Charles Francis, MD, president of the American College of Physicians, in announcing support for the measure. According to the ACP, it costs an average of $30,000 per physician to switch to an electronic health records system, a price tag that is too high for many small practices.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/02/28/gvbf0228.htm.
