NEWS RELEASE

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Subcommittee Approves Health Information Technology Legislation

PRO(TECH)T Act Would Improve Exchange of Health Information & Safeguard Patient Privacy

Washington, D.C. – The Subcommittee on Health today approved H.R. 6357, the “Protecting Records, Optimizing Treatment, and Easing Communication through Healthcare Technology Act of 2008” or the PRO(TECH)T Act, which was forwarded to the full Committee by voice vote. This bipartisan legislation is designed to strengthen the quality of health care, reduce medical errors and costs by encouraging the adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT), and further protect the privacy and security of health information in the electronic age.

“Your grocery store automatically knows what brand of chips you bought last year, but your cardiologist doesn’t automatically know what prescriptions your family doctor prescribed for you yesterday. That’s problematic for health care quality and costs,” said John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. “The PRO(TECH)T Act provides for the adoption of standards to allow providers across the country to exchange health information about their patients. It also strengthens current federal privacy protections and expands them to new entities that store your electronic health information. I thank my colleagues for working in a bipartisan manner to develop this bill and urge all Members of this Committee to support this important legislation.”

The legislation promotes the nationwide adoption of an HIT infrastructure and establishes incentives for doctors, hospitals, insurers, and the government to exchange health information electronically across the country. Additionally, H.R. 6357 makes permanent the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and encourages the use of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014. It also strengthens the law protecting the security and privacy of an individual’s health information through provisions such as requiring notification when personal health information is breached.

"Today, in strong bipartisan fashion, the Health Subcommittee began the process of modernizing our nation's health care system," said Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health. "Investing in HIT today will help make our health care system more efficient tomorrow, thereby lowering costs and saving lives. I hope that we will see similar bipartisan support when the bill heads to full committee next month."

H.R. 6357 builds on a discussion draft released by Reps. Dingell and Pallone, along with Reps. Joe Barton (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Nathan Deal (R-GA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health, on May 22, 2008. On June 4, 2008, the Subcommittee held a hearing in which witnesses from the Administration and representatives from consumer, technological, and privacy groups provided feedback on the draft legislation.

Additional information on H.R. 6357 along with Chairman Dingell’s full statement is available on the Committee’s web site: http://energycommerce.house.gov

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