LANSING ? Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) would spur the use of new information technologies that would reduce paperwork costs and improve the quality of care given to the patients. The use of these emerging technologies could save as much as $300 billion annually to the nation?s health care system.
The Health Information Technology Act or the Health-Tech Act was unveiled at a news conference last weekend at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island.
?We think this is one of the most promising efforts to come out of Washington in a long time in the health care field,? says Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) President and CEO Rob Fowler, who attended the press conference.
SBAM?s April 2005 Health Care Committee report (available at www.sbam.org) notes that the health care industry?s information technology problems include being years behind most other business sectors in adopting common standards for processing and communicating information.
?The skyrocketing cost of health care threatens American jobs by adding to manufacturing costs, making American businesses less competitive in the international marketplace,? Stabenow said. ?We can eliminate or reduce many of these costs by streamlining the flow of information among doctors and nurses, hospitals and other community health centers. This legislation is designed to remove financial obstacles that have prevented some health care providers from using new technologies that will ultimately not only reduce costs, but also improve patient care.?
Stabenow?s legislation would encourage greater use of information technologies through a program of grants, a restructured schedule of Medicare reimbursements, and tax incentives.
