Baucus Bill Champions Healthcare Technology

"Health Information Technology. Most providers in the health care system collect and transmit information on paper, over the phone, and via fax machines. More advanced health information technology (IT) offers tools to streamline and support the process of collecting and analyzing the data needed to provide the best and most efficient care possible. Clinical IT comprises multiple applications that can support different functions in health care, such as:

Tracking patient care; Allowing physicians to order medications, lab work, and other tests electronically, and then access test results; Reporting to chronic disease registries; and Providing evidence-based decision support to physicians. Encouraging more rapid adoption and use of health IT systems will improve health care quality and make our health care system more efficient.64,65 Automating the collection of clinical data will also be a vital component of better quality performance measurement and reporting. Technology can facilitate richer data sets for comparative effectiveness research, and help providers use comparative effectiveness findings in their own clinical practices. The Baucus plan provides Federal-level leadership to spur the modernization necessary to support a truly patient-centered delivery system. Health IT adoption by providers has been low to date, especially for physicians in small group practices. Providers, particularly physicians, cite as obstacles the cost of purchasing and implementing systems, a fear of investing in systems that may soon be obsolete, as well as a lack of a clear return on investment. Some providers, especially in smaller settings, lack the resources or expertise to navigate the large and complex market of health IT products or to maintain such a system over time. Implementing health IT also requires changes in office organization, processes, and culture that clinicians and office staff may resist. Safeguards must be put in place to ensure that patient privacy is protected. And existing payment incentives discourage health IT adoption. Reductions in office visits, hospital admissions, and other services that could be achieved through the use of health IT would accrue to the benefit of payers and patients but not to providers themselves. Despite these challenges, there is a growing consensus among patient advocates, providers, and payers that a path forward that drives adoption and protects patient privacy must be found."