Dearborn, MI - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) joined with doctors and staff at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit to discuss how to further protect the privacy and security of health information in the electronic age. Dingell is currently working on H.R. 6357, the “Protecting Records, Optimizing Treatment, and Easing Communication through Healthcare Technology Act of 2008” or the PRO(TECH)T Act, to address concerns about Health Information Technology (HIT) with other Members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.  This is just a part of Dingell’s broader goal of making healthcare more efficient, more affordable and more widely available.

“In today’s world your grocery store can press a button and find out your favorite brand of toothpaste, and retailers such as Amazon can recommend items that resemble past purchases, yet today’s healthcare system still does not have the technology that would allow your cardiologist to press a button and find what prescriptions your family doctor prescribed yesterday,” Dingell said. “The PRO(TECH)T Act gives the federal government a leadership roll in developing communication standards that allow for the electronic communication between providers, health insurers and others.  This bipartisan bill will extend federal privacy laws to crack down on new entities that store your electronic health information.  Overall this legislation will greatly improve the efficiency of our healthcare system, which will save lives and reduce costs.  I know that this legislation will benefit both our patients and our healthcare providers and I hope to move it quickly through the House.”

H.R. 6357 promotes the nationwide adoption of an HIT infrastructure and establishes incentives for doctors, hospitals, insurers, and the government to exchange health information electronically across the country. Additionally, H.R. 6357 makes permanent the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and encourages the use of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014. It also strengthens the law protecting the security and privacy of an individual’s health information through provisions such as requiring notification when personal health information is breached.

The Congressman appreciated the input from the Henry Ford Hospital staff: “They have successfully used health information technology to help improve patient care, bill and communication between doctors for years. They are proving to be a leader in this area and I think we all can learn from their outstanding example.”

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