Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 4157 - Health Information Technology Promotion Act of 2006

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(House)

(Rep. Johnson (R) CT and 58 cosponsors)

The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 4157, which will promote a nationwide interoperable health information technology network that will help Americans receive high quality medical care by giving health care providers and patients secure and privacy-protected access to patients' medical information and history at the time of care. H.R. 4157 is consistent with the Administration's commitment to promote health information technology to improve efficiencies, reduce medical errors, improve quality of care, and provide better information for patients, physicians, and other health care providers in a seamless and secure manner.

The Administration looks forward to working with Congress on addressing issues such as implementation of disease classification code sets, program integrity, and interoperability. The Administration also looks forward to working with Congress on how best to provide useful information on health care prices and quality. The Administration is still assessing the cost of the bill and looks forward to working with Congress to ensure that it does not cause a net increase in spending.