U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) applauded U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) support of health information technology (health IT) in Maryland that will bring jobs and health care savings to the state. HHS announced March 16, that $9.3 million in federal Recovery Act funds to promote a statewide health information exchange. The grant was made to Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) to help securely connect providers and patients’ information electronically.
“Health IT saves lives and saves money,” said Senator Mikulski, Chairwoman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Retirement and Aging. “Strengthening Maryland’s health IT infrastructure will improve the quality of patient care and help reduce medical errors. It means that providers can spend less time on paperwork and more time focusing on patient care. And it means jobs in Maryland.”
Senator Mikulski is a leader in improving health care quality. She has supported finding new ways to use health IT to save lives and money. She helped create this state grant program in the American Recovery Act signed into law last year. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office anticipates that widespread health IT adoption will reduce total spending on health care.
Senator Mikulski also has led the effort in the HELP Committee to promote interoperable use of health IT as part of health reform. She convened two hearings in 2009 that examined the potential benefits and pitfalls of health IT. Mikulski also included language in the Senate health reform bill that will use health IT to achieve administrative simplification savings and to streamline patient enrollment into public health programs.
More information on the American Recovery Act and HHS grants to promote state health information exchanges can be found at the following link: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/03/20100315a.html.