A new bill signed into law is expected to boost the creation of a statewide health information exchange in Wisconsin.
Assembly Bill 779, the WIRED for Health Act, was one of 10 bills that Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law on May 11. The legislation authorizes the state to designate a nonprofit corporation to receive and administer federal funds to implement a statewide electronic health information exchange.
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the State of Wisconsin is receiving $9.4 million for the planning and development of a statewide network. The new law also paves the way for hospitals to receive between $500 million to $800 million in incentive payments to help them establish and use electronic medical record systems. To be eligible for federal funding, states must have the technological infrastructure in place to allow providers to exchange health records.
The corporation designated by the state will accept federal stimulus dollars under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, to among other things, monitor health information technology and exchange efforts nationally and facilitate the alignment of statewide, interstate and national exchange strategies. It will also facilitate the distribution of incentive funding to state medical providers.
"If someone from La Crosse gets sick in Milwaukee, they should be able to access all of their own personal medical information electronically," Governor Doyle said. "Without it, doctors have to run tests that have already been done, raising both the costs and possibility of errors. Creating an electronic exchange where medical records can be safely shared and patients' privacy rights can be protected is a critical part of reforming health care in America."
But some are not convinced that privacy can be protected. On May 8, Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) asked Gov. Doyle to do a last-minute reconsideration of his support for the bill.
"While right now there may be privacy concerns, at least most medical records stay at one individual clinic and any breach in privacy would be limited to employees and procedures that took place in that clinic or hospital," said Grothman.
Gov. Doyle said an exchange will also help support the creation of new high-tech jobs in the state. Wisconsin is home to medical record technology companies like Epic Systems, GE Healthcare, and Marshfield Clinic. These companies provide software to hospitals and clinics across the nation, said Doyle, and a statewide exchange will mean increased business – and new jobs – in Wisconsin.
"In my opinion, the bill passed because all the powerful lobbyists were for it," said Grothman. "Healthcare providers will receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government to upgrade their medical records equipment. Wisconsin medical technology businesses will provide this equipment and the bureaucracy will get a new bobble. Unfortunately, there are no lobbyists for the little guys and too much of the Legislature was asleep at the switch without someone to point out these concerns," he said.
