Bill Addresses Security Of Patient Records

Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) has introduced a bill in Congress designed to create federal standards for the protection of personal information that might be included in a national health information network.

Currently, such information is subject to varying state laws, and this lack of consistency would likely be a significant roadblock to any national database of health-related data. Among the bill’s provisions, it would create the position of National Coordinator of Health IT, require the Department of Health and Human Services to use consistent coding for medical procedures, and allow the distribution of technologies that would help reduce paperwork and permit the electronic exchange of information among health care providers. The e-Health Initiative, the American Health Information Management Association, and the Federation of American Hospitals are among the supporters of Johnson’s bill. Other bills addressing similar issues have been introduced, but Johnson’s bill might have an easier path through Congress because she is chair of the health subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Federal Computer Week, 28 October 2005