Wired for Health Care Quality Act
Latest action · Oct 1, 2007 By Senator Kennedy from Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions filed written report. Report No. 110-187.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 26, 2007
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Wired for Health Care Quality Act - Title I: Improving the Interoperability of Health Information Technology - (Sec. 101) Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. Requires the Office to: (1) ensure that key health information technology initiatives are coordinated across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); (2) enhance the use of health information technology to improve the quality of health care in the prevention and management of chronic disease and to address population health; (3) develop a strategic plan for implementing a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure; and (4) assess the impact of health information technology in communities with health disparities and identify practices to increase the adoption of such technology by health care providers in such communities. Terminates this section on September 30, 2014.
Establishes a public-private Partnership for Health Care Improvement to: (1) provide advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) and the nation and recommend specific actions to achieve a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure; (2) make recommendations concerning standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange of health information for adoption by the federal government and, voluntarily, by private entities; and (3) develop a schedule for the assessment of standards and implementation specifications. Requires the Secretary, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Secretary of Defense to jointly review such recommendations. Requires the President to provide for the adoption by the federal government of standards and implementation specifications contained in such recommendation.
Establishes the American Health Information Community to: (1) provide advice to the Secretary and relevant federal agencies concerning health information technology policy considerations; (2) make recommendations concerning a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide interoperable health information technology infrastructure; and (3) make recommendations concerning national policies for adoption by the federal government and, voluntarily, by private entities to support the widespread adoption of health information technology, including the protection of individually identifiable health information. Requires the Secretary to review all recommendations and determine which should be endorsed by the federal government. Terminates provisions related to the Community on September 20, 2014.
Prohibits a federal agency from expending federal funds for the purchase of new health information technology that is not consistent with standards adopted under this Act. Directs all federal agencies collecting health data in an electronic format to comply with the standards and implementation specifications adopted under this Act.
Requires the Secretary to contract with private entities to serve as Quality Reporting Organizations to store federal health data and develop reports to: (1) improve the quality and efficiency of health care and advanced health care research; (2) enhance the education and awareness of consumers for evaluating health care services; and (3) provide the public with reports on national, regional, provider, and supplier performance.
Requires the Secretary to give researchers access to all federal health care data to report on the performance of health care providers and suppliers.
Title II: Facilitating the Widespread Adoption of Interoperable Health Information Technology - (Sec. 201) Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to: (1) eligible entities to facilitate the purchase and enhance the utilization of qualified health information technology systems to improve the quality and efficiency of health care; (2) states for loans to health care providers to facilitate the purchase and enhance the utilization of qualified health information technology; (3) eligible entities to implement regional or local health information plans to improve health care quality and efficiency through the electronic exchange of health information; and (4) eligible entities or consortia to carry out demonstration projects to develop academic curricula integrating qualified health information technology systems in the clinical education of health professionals or to analyze clinical data sets to discover quality measures.
Title III: Improving the Quality of Health Care - (Sec. 301) Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide for the development and use of measures of the quality and efficiency of health care that patients receive; and (2) designate a single organization to promote the development of such quality measures and provide the Secretary with advice and recommendations on the key elements and priorities of a national system for health care performance measurement. Requires the designated organization to: (1) ensure that priority is given to certain measures, including those measures with the greatest potential impact for improving the performance and efficiency of care; (2) establish procedures to ensure that quality measures take into account differences in patient health status, patient characteristics, and geographic locations; and (3) require the owners or developers of quality measures to update and enhance such measures and retire outdated measures.
Allows the Secretary, acting through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to award grants to organizations to support the development and testing of quality measures that meet the standards established by the designated organizations.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) select quality measures for adoption and use; and (2) implement programs to enable HHS to accept the electronic submission of data for purposes of performance measurement.
Title IV: Privacy and Security - (Sec. 401) Extends health information privacy requirements to an operator of a health information electronic database. Gives individuals the right to inspect and obtain a copy of their protected health information stored in electronic format. Sets forth rights for individuals who are victims of medical fraud or who believe that there is an error in their protected health information.
Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions - (Sec. 501) Directs the Comptroller General to report on the circumstances in which it is necessary and workable to require health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers who transmit health information in electronic form to notify individuals if their individually identifiable health information is wrongly disclosed.
(Sec. 502) Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of AHRQ, to develop a Health Information Technology Resource Center to provide technical assistance and develop best practices to support and accelerate efforts to adopt, implement, and effectively use interoperable health information technology.
(Sec. 503) Allows the Secretary to make grants to states that have adopted regional reciprocity agreements for practitioner licensure to expedite the provision of telehealth services across state lines.
Cosponsors 16
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 26, 2007 to Sep 24, 2008; 9 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-IL | Barack Obama | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| D-NY | Hillary Rodham Clinton | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| R-GA | Johnny Isakson | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| R-NH | Judd Gregg | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| R-TN | Lamar Alexander | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| R-WY | Michael B. Enzi | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| R-UT | Orrin G. Hatch | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| R-KS | Pat Roberts | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| R-NC | Richard Burr | Original | Jun 26, 2007 |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Aug 1, 2007 | |
| R-NH | John E. Sununu | Sep 4, 2007 | |
| D-WI | Herb Kohl | Nov 1, 2007 | |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Mar 5, 2008 | |
| R-GA | Saxby Chambliss | Apr 8, 2008 | |
| R-NC | Elizabeth Dole | Apr 17, 2008 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Referred Jun 26, 2007Markup Jun 27, 2007Reported Aug 2, 2007 |
Actions 7
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 1, 2007By Senator Kennedy from Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions filed written report. Report No. 110-187.
- Aug 1, 2007Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Kennedy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Aug 1, 2007Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 318.
- Jun 27, 2007Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jun 26, 2007Introduced in Senate
In the Congressional Record 4
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S759 | Sheldon Whitehouse D-RI | Feb 7, 2008 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S10888 | Chuck Grassley R-IA | Aug 3, 2007 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S9513 | Edward M. Kennedy D-MA | Jul 17, 2007 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S8414–S8416 | Edward M. Kennedy D-MA, Hillary Rodham Clinton D-NY, Michael B. Enzi R-WY, Orrin G. Hatch R-UT | Jun 26, 2007 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Jul 25, 2007S. 1693, Wired for Health Care Quality Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on June 27, 2007</p>
- Jul 25, 2007S. 1693, Wired for Health Care Quality ActCost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on June 27, 2007
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 110-93 | HEARING ON PROMOTING THE ADOPTION AND USE OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY145 pages | Ways and Means Committee | Jul 24, 2008 |
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R40161 | The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act Archived | Report | Apr 27, 2009 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 3800 | Promoting Health Information Technology Act | Related bill | Oct 10, 2007 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to enhance the adoption of a nationwide interoperable health information technology system and to improve the quality and reduce the costs of health care in the United States.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Wired for Health Care Quality Act
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Wired for Health Care Quality Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Chronically ill
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Commerce
- Congress
- Congressional investigations
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Consumer education
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Curricula
- Data banks
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Economics and Public Finance
- Education
- Electronic data interchange
- Executive reorganization
- Federal advisory bodies
- Federal aid to education
- Federal aid to health facilities
- Government lending
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government procurement
- Government publicity
- Health
- Health care fraud
- Health information systems
- Health planning
- Higher education
- Interstate relations
- Law
- Licenses
- Medical education
- Medical records
- Medical research
- Patients' rights
- Performance measurement
- Preventive medicine
- Public-private partnerships
- Quality of care
- Right of privacy
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Standards
- Strategic planning
- Technology assessment
- Telemedicine
- Victims of crimes
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Aug 1, 2007Reported to Senate
- Jun 26, 2007Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.