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National health care information technology organizations tapped BWH Chief Information Officer Sue Schade to represent health IT users last week in Washington, D.C., as Congress debated an $800 billion economic stimulus package.
Schade joined U.S. Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Timothy Murphy (R-PA), leaders of the 21st Century Health Care Caucus, at a press conference announcing a “call to action” issued by 65 health care CIOs urging Congress to pave the way for widespread adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems. The call to action is a joint effort by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), both national organizations that focus on health care IT.
“I’m here on behalf of thousands of health care CIOs who work in a 21st century world but far too often use 20th century methods and procedures in health care delivery and administration,” Schade said during the press conference. “I am joining more than 65 of my colleagues to call on Congress to use its authority and funding by acting now to increase EMR adoption rates across our nation.”
Schade added, “We are on the front lines working with clinicians to deliver solutions that improve patient safety and quality while trying to reduce the costs of health care delivery. We know that EMRs, properly installed and with the accompanying change management processes in place, work.”
Later that day, Congress passed its version of the economic stimulus bill which included $20 billion to jumpstart efforts to computerize health records to cut costs and reduce medical errors.
Both the U.S. Senate and President Barack Obama will weigh in on the stimulus package this month.