Wired for Health Care Quality Act

Bill: 109-hr-4642
Sponsor: Rep. Issa, Darrell E. [R-CA-49]
Introduced: 2005-12-18 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Authorization
Biological warfare
Chronically ill
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Commerce
Communicable diseases
Communication in medicine
Computer security measures
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Cost control
Department of Health and Human Services
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Electronic data interchange
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Epidemiology
Executive reorganization
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to health facilities
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government lending
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Health information systems
Higher education
Hospitals
Information technology
Law
Licenses
Medical economics
Medical education
Medical personnel
Medical records
Medical research
Patient satisfaction
Performance measurement
Presidential appointments
Preventive medicine
Public-private partnerships
Quality of care
Right of privacy
Science, Technology, Communications
Standards
State laws
Strategic planning
Telemedicine
Telephone

Summary:
action_date: 2005-12-18
text: 
Wired for Health Care Quality Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology to develop a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure.
 
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish the public-private American Health Information Collaborative to recommend uniform policies to support the widespread adoption of health information technology; and (2) adopt recommended modifications to standards for the electronic exchange of health information. 
 
Prohibits any federal agency from expending federal funds to purchase health information technology that is inconsistent with adopted standards and requires all federal agencies collecting health data to comply with such standards.
 
Requires the Secretary to develop criteria to: (1) ensure uniform and consistent implementation of any standards voluntarily adopted by private entities; and (2) ensure and certify hardware, software, and support services compliance with adopted standards.
 
Allows the Secretary to award grants to: (1) facilitate the purchase and enhance the utilization of qualified health information technology systems; (2) implement regional or local health information plans; and (3) develop academic programs integrating qualified health information technology systems in the clinical education of health professionals.
 
Requires the heads of specified federal agencies to develop a system to measure the quality of care patients receive. Requires the Secretary to: (1) adopt and utilize such system; (2) disseminate recommendations and best practices derived from the analysis of quality measures; and (3) study methods to create efficient reimbursement incentives for improving health care quality.
 
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), to develop a Center for Best Practices to provide technical assistance and develop best practices to support and accelerate efforts to adopt, implement, and effectively use interoperable health information technology.
 
Reauthorizes appropriations for grants to reduce statutory and regulatory barriers to telemedicine.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-01-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2005-12-18
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2005-12-18
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-12-18
text: Introduced in House