Bill Text: HI HR6 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Electronic Health Records; Federal Requirements

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-02 - Referred to HLT, JUD, referral sheet 7 [HR6 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2016-HR6-Introduced.html

---

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	6
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO AMEND FEDERAL LAW to PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY in THE ELECTRONIC RECORD REQUIREMENTS OF THE HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR ECONOMIC AND CLINICAL HEALTH ACT.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to accelerate the adoption and use of health information technologies; and

 

     WHEREAS, the HITECH Act authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide financial incentives to hospitals, physicians, and other eligible professionals to adopt and meaningfully use certified electronic health record (EHR) systems to improve patient care; and

 

WHEREAS, the federal law also provides that hospitals, physicians, and other eligible professionals who fail to implement Emergency Medical Record (EMR) technology or demonstrate meaningful use certified EHR technology by 2015 will experience a reduction in Medicare/Medicaid fee reimbursements, starting with a one percent reduction and increasing to a three percent reduction by 2017 and beyond; and

 

WHEREAS, the transition to an EMR or EHR system engenders many challenges for healthcare professionals, as the process involves conformance to strict technical standards and certification requirements, and privacy and security issues continue to be of concern; and

 

WHEREAS, implementing an EMR or EHR system comes with immense costs associated with investment in expensive hardware and software, and conversion of a multitude of records; and

 

WHEREAS, small rural hospitals, sole practitioners, and small groups of practitioners in particular are experiencing the financial and operational challenges of meeting the regulatory requirements of the information technology mandate, as demonstrated by the current trend toward hospital consolidations and partnerships as hospitals and physicians must balance providing quality healthcare services with federally-mandated technology and implementation of an EHR system; and

 

WHEREAS, physicians and other eligible professionals must also devote significant time to train themselves and their staff in the use of an EHR system, and dedicate an inordinate amount of time maintaining the system while conducting their medical practices; and

 

WHEREAS, as a result of significant reductions in reimbursement rates, there has been a decline in the number of physicians accepting Medicare and Medicaid patients, thus making it increasingly difficult for these individuals to access medical care; and

 

WHEREAS, hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers can ill-afford penalties to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements for not complying with the HITECH requirements, which could lead to further reductions in the availability of health care services for Medicare and Medicaid patients; and

 

WHEREAS, while the nationwide system of EMR and EHR technology holds significant promise in providing a high quality, coordinated system of care through a secure and confidential electronic exchange of health information, it takes substantial time and a substantial dedication of resources to transition from paper to an EHR system, thereby placing a toll on medical professionals attempting to comply with the federal law according to stringent deadlines; and

 

WHEREAS, at a time when the nation is facing a projected shortage of 20,400 primary care physicians according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services and a shortage of healthcare providers who will accept Medicare and Medicaid patients, providing flexibility to the electronic record requirements of the HITECH Act would lessen the number of primary care practitioners and other healthcare professionals who have no reasonable recourse other than closing their practices or retiring early, due to the burdensome requirements of the HITECH Act; now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, that the United States Congress is urged to amend federal law to provide flexibility to hospitals, physicians, and other eligible professionals in meeting the electronic record requirements of the HITECH Act; and

    

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, President of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, members of Hawaii's Congressional Delegation, President of the American Medical Association, and President of the Hawaii Medical Association.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Electronic Health Records; Federal Requirements