Congress acts to establish health IT system; RNs offer words of caution.

It appears that the president's hopes for implementation of a health information technology (IT) plan are coming to fruition. Nurses have warned, however, that implementation of such technology cannot be forced and must include health care professionals trained in information technology.

In his January State of the Union address, President Bush said he hoped to make wider use of electronic records and other health information technology to help control health care costs and reduce medical errors.

Last week was National Health Information Technology Week, and Congress took action on several bills designed to carry out the president's vision.

The House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees June 15 approved The Health Information Technology Promotion Act (H.R. 4157).

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) and Nathan Deal (R-Ga.), would codify the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology within the Department of Health and Human Services and would establish a committee to make recommendations on national standards for medical data storage and develop a permanent structure to govern national interoperability standards. The bill also would clarify that current medical privacy laws apply to data stored or transmitted electronically.

Additionally, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) June 8 introduced the Independent Health Record Bank Act in the House. The bill would create independent health record banks to maintain electronic health records for those who choose to participate.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) June 6 introduced companion legislation in the Senate.