I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4157 
To amend the Social Security Act to encourage the dissemination, security, 
confidentiality, and usefulness of health information technology. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 27, 2005 
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut (for herself, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr. BLUNT, 
Mr. CANTOR, Mr. MCCRERY, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. CAMP, 
Mr. RAMSTAD, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr. HAYWORTH, Mr. 
HULSHOF, Mr. HERGER, Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky, Mr. WELLER, Mr. 
RYAN of Wisconsin, Mr. BEAUPREZ, Mr. UPTON, Mrs. WILSON of New 
Mexico, Mr. BASS, Mr. TERRY, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. BRADLEY of New 
Hampshire, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. CASTLE, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. GER-
LACH, Mr. HOBSON, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. JINDAL, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michi-
gan, Mr. SHAYS, and Mr. SIMMONS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition 
to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Social Security Act to encourage the dissemi-
nation, security, confidentiality, and usefulness of health 
information technology. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Health Information Technology Promotion Act of 2005’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. 
Sec. 3. Safe harbors for provision of health information technology and training 
services to health care professionals. 
Sec. 4. Uniform health information laws and regulations. 
Sec. 5. Rulemaking to upgrade ASC X12 and NCPDP standards and ICD 
codes. 
Sec. 6. Report on the American Health Information Community. 
Sec. 7. Strategic plan for coordinating implementation of health information 
technology. 
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL COORDINATOR FOR 
HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act is amended by adding at the end the following new 
part: 
‘‘PART D—HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 
‘‘OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL COORDINATOR FOR HEALTH 
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 
‘‘SEC. 271. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Department of Health and Human Services an Office 
of the National Coordinator for Health Information Tech-
nology that shall be headed by the National Coordinator 
for Health Information Technology (referred to in this 
section as the ‘National Coordinator’). The National Coor-
dinator shall be appointed by the President and shall re-
port directly to the Secretary. The National Coordinator 
shall be paid at a rate equal to the rate of basic pay for 
level IV of the Executive Schedule. 
‘‘(b) GOALS
OF
NATIONWIDE
INTEROPERABLE 
HEALTH
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
INFRASTRUC-
TURE.—The National Coordinator shall perform the du-
ties under subsection (c) in a manner consistent with the 
development of a nationwide interoperable health informa-
tion technology infrastructure that— 
‘‘(1) improves health care quality, reduces med-
ical errors, increases the efficiency of care, and ad-
vances the delivery of appropriate, evidence-based 
health care services; 
‘‘(2) promotes wellness, disease prevention, and 
management of chronic illnesses by increasing the 
availability and transparency of information related 
to the health care needs of an individual for such in-
dividual; 
‘‘(3) ensures that appropriate information nec-
essary to make medical decisions is available in a us-
able form at the time and in the location that the 
medical service involved is provided; 
‘‘(4) produces greater value for health care ex-
penditures by reducing health care costs that result
from inefficiency, medical errors, inappropriate care, 
and incomplete information; 
‘‘(5) promotes a more effective marketplace, 
greater competition, greater systems analysis, in-
creased choice, enhanced quality, and improved out-
comes in health care services; 
‘‘(6) improves the coordination of information 
and the provision of such services through an effec-
tive infrastructure for the secure and authorized ex-
change and use of health care information; and 
‘‘(7) ensures that the confidentiality of individ-
ually identifiable health information of a patient is 
secure and protected. 
‘‘(c) DUTIES OF NATIONAL COORDINATOR.— 
‘‘(1) STRATEGIC
PLANNER
FOR
INTEROPER-
ABLE
HEALTH
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY.—The 
National Coordinator shall maintain, direct, and 
oversee the continuous improvement of a strategic 
plan to guide the nationwide implementation of 
interoperable health information technology in both 
the public and private health care sectors consistent 
with subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) PRINCIPAL ADVISOR TO HHS.—The Na-
tional Coordinator shall serve as the principal advi-
sor of the Secretary on the development, application,
and use of health information technology, and co-
ordinate the health information technology programs 
of the Department of Health and Human Services. 
‘‘(3) COORDINATOR OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 
ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The National Coordi-
nator shall serve as the coordinator of Federal 
Government activities relating to health infor-
mation technology. 
‘‘(B) 
SPECIFIC
COORDINATION
FUNC-
TIONS.—In carrying out subparagraph (A), the 
National Coordinator shall provide for— 
‘‘(i) the development and approval of 
standards used in the electronic creation, 
maintenance, or exchange of health infor-
mation; and 
‘‘(ii) the certification and inspection of 
health information technology products, ex-
changes, and architectures to ensure that 
such products, exchanges, and architec-
tures conform to the applicable standards 
approved under clause (i). 
‘‘(C) USE
OF
PRIVATE
ENTITIES.—The 
National Coordinator shall, to the maximum ex-