TITLE: Recognizing January 26, 2011, as Texas Healthcare Information Technology Day, commending participants at the Texas Healthcare Information Technology Forum, and honoring individuals responsible for the adoption of healthcare information technology throughout the state.

SUMMARY: Recognizing January 26, 2011, as Texas Healthcare Information Technology Day, commending participants at the Texas Healthcare Information Technology Forum, and honoring individuals responsible for the adoption of healthcare information technology throughout the state.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Texas recognizes that its success in the coming decades relies on the health and welfare of its citizens; and WHEREAS, Texas also recognizes that our great nation and its citizens, including hardworking Texans, are devoting ever-increasing amounts of their budgets to meeting the rising costs for healthcare; and WHEREAS, A portion of our healthcare costs comes from preventable medical errors that occur because healthcare providers cannot get immediate access to the health information they need, and this lack of access further causes many Americans, including Texans, to undergo unnecessary diagnostic tests and procedures that further increase their healthcare costs; and WHEREAS, Greater adoption and utilization of healthcare information technology can improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare for all Texans, while also reducing their costs; and WHEREAS, Texas policy makers have recognized the importance of healthcare information technology for all Texans through their formation of the Texas Health Services Authority to increase awareness of and support for the greater adoption of healthcare information technology, the creation of a statewide health information exchange, the promotion of policies and practices that support the private, safe, and secure exchange of health information to benefit Texas citizens, and the promotion of collaborative partnerships among nonprofit entities and all professionals to foster healthcare information technology adoption, and through the creation of Texas Regional Extension Centers to assist healthcare providers across Texas to adopt electronic health records; and WHEREAS, On January 26, 2011, the Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and South Central Texas chapters of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), and the Texas Health Institute are joining the Texas Healthcare Information Technology Forum; designed to improve public awareness through education, the forum provides an opportunity for citizens, organizations, and policy makers to discuss and promote the importance of healthcare information to all; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby recognize January 26, 2011, as Texas Healthcare Information Technology Day, commend participants at the Texas Healthcare Information Technology Forum for attempting to raise awareness through education, and honor those individuals responsible for furthering the adoption of healthcare information technology throughout the state. Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 202 was adopted by the House on January 26, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House