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Though many on Capitol Hill talk of the benefits of healthcare IT, nothing substantial has been done this year to bring those benefits closer to fruition.
Some on the Hill predict this will be a tough year to pass any healthcare IT legislation due to tight funding and the distraction of the election. There is speculation that the only way a healthcare IT measure will pass is if it’s attached to some other must-pass legislation.
Former Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.), chairman of Health IT Now!, said timing is everything. As the election year progresses, passage of a bill will become more difficult.
Certainly with that in mind, Senate and industry leaders met on Capitol Hill April 1 to push the “Wired for Healthcare Quality Act,” a bill that came close to passing by special vote last December but hasn’t budged since.
The WIRED Act, introduced last June by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), would provide a foundation for nationwide healthcare IT adoption, its sponsors say, but it is strongly opposed by privacy activists who hope the tough legislative year healthcare IT is facing will derail it.
