Diana Manos
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said it will take more than what's in the stimulus package to reform U.S. healthcare.
The Senate voted 61 to 37 Tuesday afternoon to approve an $838 billion stimulus package, according to The Washington Post.
President Barack Obama pushed the urgency of an economic stimulus package during his first televised national address Monday night. Included in that package, he said, is funding for healthcare IT.
Former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) withdrew Tuesday from consideration as Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, according to a White House statement. The withdrawal follows a Senate Finance Committee vetting review that revealed Daschle had tax violations. Daschle, viewed as an advocate for healthcare information technology, was a highly favored candidate across party lines and also had been tapped to be the White House healthcare czar.
The Senate Finance Committee's vetting process of former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) for Secretary of Health and Human Services, hailed by industry insiders as a proponent of healthcare information technology, has hit a snag due to a recent discovery that Daschle failed to pay some of his taxes since 2005.
Results of a nationwide survey of healthcare providers released Monday by Allscripts shows that physician groups support measures in the economic stimulus package that provide federal loans, grants and incentives to promote broader adoption of health information technology.
The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare information data-sharing project – often held out as an example of two powerhouse health information networks becoming interoperable – was given a warning this week by the Government Accountability Office.
The House passed an $819 billion economic stimulus bill Wednesday night that includes $20 billion for healthcare IT and policy changes that are expected to result in $30 billion in net bonuses for providers who adopt and use certified healthcare IT products over the next 10 years.
The House Committee on Ways and Means voted Thursday in support of a comprehensive economic recovery package that includes healthcare IT measures.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's National Resource Center for Health Information Technology has released a report that shows how barcode medication administration can improve the quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare.