About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

GAO-04-991R 1 (2004-08-13)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptaqor0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SGAO Accountability * Integrity Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 August 13, 2004 The Honorable Judd Gregg Chairman Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions United States Senate Subject: HHS's Efforts to Promote Health Information Technology and Legal Barriers to Its Adoption Dear Mr. Chairman: Studies published by the Institute of Medicine and others have indicated that fragmented, disorganized, and inaccessible clinical information adversely affects the quality of health care and compromises patient safety.' Health information technology (IT)-technology used to collect, store, retrieve, and transfer clinical, administrative, and financial health information electronically-is seen as a promising solution to this problem. Technologies such as electronic health records (EHR)2 and bar coding of certain human drug and biological product labels have been shown to save money and reduce medical errors. However, only a small number of U.S. health care providers have fully adopted health IT. Significant financial, technical, cultural, and legal barriers to the adoption of health IT exist. These include a lack of access to capital, a lack of data standards, and resistance from health care providers. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as a regulator, purchaser, health care provider, and sponsor of research, education, and training, has been working to promote the use of IT in public and private health care settings. There is no comprehensive catalogue of HHS's health IT efforts, however, and little is known about the nature and extent of the legal barriers and HHS's efforts to address them. 'See, for example, Institute of Medicine. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century: (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2001). 2An EHR generally includes a longitudinal collection of electronic health information about the health of an individual or the care provided; immediate electronic access to patient- and population-level information by authorized users; decision support to enhance the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care; and support of efficient processes for health care delivery. 3Outside of HHS, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are considered by experts to be leaders in the use of health IT, particularly in the adoption of EHR systems for their constituents. GAO-04-991R HHS's Health Information Technology Efforts

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most