Wired for Health Care Quality Act

Bill: 109-hr-4726
Sponsor: Rep. Issa, Darrell E. [R-CA-49]
Introduced: 2006-02-08 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 investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer education
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
Nonprofit organizations
Patient satisfaction
Patients' rights
Performance measurement
Presidential appointments
Preventive medicine
Public-private partnerships
Quality of care
Right of privacy
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Standards
State laws
Strategic planning
Telemedicine
Telephone

Summary:
action_date: 2006-02-08
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 national policies to support the widespread adoption of health information technology; and (2) provide for adoption by the federal government of any appropriate recommended standards. 
 
Prohibits any federal agency from expending federal funds to purchase any new health information technology that is inconsistent with adopted standards. Requires all federal agencies collecting health data to comply with such standards.
 
Allows the Secretary to award grants for qualified health information technology systems, regional or local health information plans, and academic curricula integrating qualified health information technology systems in the clinical education of health professionals.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop measures for the quality of patient care; (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 Comptroller General to report on the necessity and workability of requiring that patients be notified if their individually identifiable health information is wrongfully disclosed.
 
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ), to develop a Health Information Technology Resource Center. 
 
Reauthorizes appropriations for grants to reduce statutory and regulatory barriers to telemedicine.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-02-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2006-02-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2006-02-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-02-08
text: Introduced in House