National Health Information Infrastructure Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to appoint a National Health Information Officer (the Officer) for the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain national leadership in the planning, development, and adoption of a national health information infrastructure (the infrastructure). Directs the Officer, in cooperation with key stakeholders, to develop a strategic plan for such infrastructure which shall contain various components, including a national agenda to guide policymaking, technology investments, and research.
Specifies certain goals for the infrastructure, which include minimizing preventable medical errors and reducing redundant paperwork. Directs the Officer to advise the Secretary on various topics, including to help make an assessment of the best current practices in the development, purchase, and maintenance of medical information technology.
Directs the Secretary to develop or adopt (and to periodically update) voluntary, national data and communications standards that promote the interoperability of health information technology systems across all public and private health care settings.
Allows the Secretary to: (1) enter into contracts to carry out this Act; and (2) test potential national data and communications standards.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2915 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2915
To provide for a National Health Information Infrastructure and data
and communication standards for health information system
interoperability.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 25, 2003
Mrs. Johnson of Connecticut (for herself, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Nussle,
Mr. English, Mr. Weldon of Florida, Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin, and Mr.
Burgess) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a National Health Information Infrastructure and data
and communication standards for health information system
interoperability.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Health Information
Infrastructure Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
(a) National Health Information Officer.--
(1) Appointment.--By not later than 6 months after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall
appoint an individual as the National Health Information
Officer for the Department of Health and Human Services.
(2) General duties.--Such Officer shall report directly to
the Secretary and shall be responsible for developing and
maintaining ongoing national leadership in the planning,
development, and adoption of a national health information
infrastructure. The Secretary may assign to the Officer other
duties that would promote the goals of this Act.
(3) Strategic plan.--Not later than 6 months after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the National Health Information
Officer shall, in cooperation with key stakeholders, develop a
strategic plan to create a comprehensive national health
information infrastructure that encompasses public-sector and
private-sector health information activities. Such plans shall
include a national agenda to guide policymaking, technology
investments, research, and integration with ongoing public
health, healthcare, and health information technology
activities and a timeline for the specific duties described in
subsection (d)(1).
(4) Limited term of office.--The National Health
Information Officer shall serve for a term of 5 years, after
which, unless extended by Act of Congress, the office shall
terminate.
(b) Goals.--The goals of the national health information
infrastructure are--
(1) to maximize positive outcomes in clinical care;
(2) to minimize preventable medical errors, especially in
hospitals and in the administration of contraindicated drugs;
(3) to reduce redundant paperwork, such as the repeated
taking of patient histories;
(4) to decrease costs from duplicative or otherwise
unnecessary testing or procedures; and
(5) to establish a compatible information technology
architecture that increases health care quality and cost-
savings, enhances security of information, and avoids the
financing and development of health information technology
systems that are not readily compatible.
(c) Collaboration With Stakeholders.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall assure that activities
of the Department of Health and Human Services that relate to
the national health information infrastructure are undertaken
after consultation with and based on the recommendations of the
parties described in paragraph (3).
(2) Periodic meetings.--The Secretary, through the National
Health Information Officer, shall convene as a group the
parties described in paragraph (3). Such group shall meet
periodically and collaborate to make recommendations to such
Officer and the Secretary on the matters described in
subsection (d).
(3) Parties represented.--The parties described in this
paragraph are experts from the fields of medical information,
information technology, medical continuous quality improvement,
and medical records security and privacy, appropriate staff
experts from Federal agencies (including those within the
Department of Health and Human Services) and representatives of
the following:
(A) The National Committee on Vital and Health
Statistics, the National Institutes of Standards and
Technology, the National Library of Medicine, and the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
(B) Individual and institutional health care
clinical providers, including a teaching hospital and
physicians.
(C) Clinical and health services researchers.
(D) Health care purchasers.
(E) Private organizations with expertise in medical
informatics.
(F) Patient groups.
(G) A State or local public health department.
(H) The health care information technology industry
and national alliances formed to achieve standards-
based health care information systems.
(d) Duties.--In carrying out subsection (a), the National Health
Information Officer shall advise the Secretary on the following, in
order to promote the goals described in subsection (b):
(1)(A) Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, an assessment of--
(i) the best current practices in the development,
purchase, and maintenance of medical information
technology; and
(ii) currently existing legal requirements for
communication standards.
(B) Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act, recommendations for a uniform health information
system interface, and methods for its adoption, to ensure
compatibility between and among old and new information
systems.
(C) Recommendations for health and healthcare data
standards (such as vocabulary and messaging), communications
standards, and other medical standards (including a common
lexicon) necessary to achieve the interoperability of health
information systems.
(2) Coordination of the evolution of the national health
information infrastructure and working with other key
stakeholders in the public and private sectors to develop a
strategic plan that will ensure the interoperability of all
elements of such infrastructure.
(3) Coordination of spending across Federal agencies
relating to the establishment of such infrastructure.
(4) Development of policies to ensure compliance with all
standards adopted under part C of title XI, including promotion
of patient control of protected health information.
(5) Avoidance of confusion and potential non-compliance
with currently existing legal requirements.
(e) Detail of Federal Employees.--Upon the request of the
Secretary, the head of any Federal agency is authorized to detail,
without reimbursement from the National Health Information Officer, any
of the personnel of such agency to such Officer to assist the Officer
in carrying out duties of the Officer under this section. Any such
detail shall not interrupt or otherwise affect the civil service status
or privileges of the Federal employee.
(f) Use of Funds Consistent With National Agenda.--The Secretary
shall develop a process (such as requiring the approval of the National
Health Information Officer) to assure that to the greatest extent
feasible funds of the Department of Health and Human Services granted
or spent for health information systems are used to further the
national agenda developed pursuant to subsection (a)(3).
(g) Authorization of Appropriations and Sunset.--There are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each
fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2004 to carry out this section.
SEC. 3. DATA AND COMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS FOR INTEROPERABILITY.
(a) In General.--Based on the recommendations provided under
section 2(d)(1)(B), the Secretary shall develop or adopt (and shall
periodically review and update) voluntary, national data and
communications standards that promote the interoperability of health
information technology systems across all public and private health
care settings. The Secretary shall ensure thorough testing of data and
communications standards before their implementation. In developing or
adopting such standards, the Secretary shall take into account--
(1) the ability of such standards to enable clinically-
specific data collection in order to promote evidence-based
medicine and the electronic exchange of patient medical record
information; and
(2) the costs of compliance and the savings and other
benefits from improved efficiency and quality in health care
delivery.
(b) Reports.--
(1) Initial report.--No later than 12 months after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to
Congress a report that includes a comprehensive national health
information infrastructure strategic plan and information on
progress on the assessments, the recommendations for the
interface, and the recommendations for standards, under section
2(d).
(2) Subsequent reports.--During each of the 2 years after
the year in which the report is submitted under paragraph (1),
the Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual report
relating to additional recommendations, best practices, results
of information technology improvements, analyses of private
sector efforts to implement the data and communications
standards established under this section, and such other
matters as may help ensure the most rapid dissemination of best
practices in health care information technology.
(c) Contract Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to enter into
contracts--
(1) for services and activities necessary to carry out this
section and section 2; and
(2) to the extent practicable, to test the standards under
consideration under this section.
(d) Dissemination.--The Secretary shall provide for the reviewing,
updating, and disseminating the standards developed under this section.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year
beginning with fiscal year 2004 to carry out this section.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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