FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing on Improving Health Information Exchange

Original title: HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE: A PATH TOWARDS IMPROVING THE QUALITY AND VALUE OF HEALTH CARE FOR PATIENTS

January 1, 2017

health care electronic health records health information technology patient data health policy

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing initiated a formal review of electronic health record systems, which impacts how patient medical data is stored, shared, and accessed by doctors and hospitals across the United States.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Patients

Patients are affected by changes to how their medical records are shared and accessed by healthcare providers.

Healthcare Providers

Providers are affected by the standards and systems used to exchange patient health information.

Health IT Companies

Companies that develop electronic health record software are affected by potential policy changes regarding data interoperability.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2017.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript of a 2015 U.S. Senate committee hearing focused on how to improve the sharing of electronic health records between different medical systems. The committee examined ways to increase the quality and value of patient care through better health information technology.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on June 10, 2015, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The committee announced an intensive review of electronic health records (EHR) systems.
The goal of the review is to improve the exchange of health information to enhance patient care quality and value.
The committee is working in a bipartisan manner with the Administration and Secretary Burwell.
Witnesses included representatives from the American Medical Informatics Association, Carolinas HealthCare System, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and Cerner Corporation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this hearing?

The hearing was held to begin an intensive review of how electronic health records are shared and to find ways to improve the exchange of health information for better patient care.

Who participated in this hearing?

The hearing included members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and a panel of expert witnesses from the medical informatics, hospital administration, and health technology sectors.

Why It Matters

The hearing initiated a formal review of electronic health record systems, which impacts how patient medical data is stored, shared, and accessed by doctors and hospitals across the United States.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Focus on Interoperability

The hearing marks a clear legislative pivot toward addressing the technical barriers that prevent different electronic health record systems from communicating with each other.

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Connected Entities

personThomas H. Payne“Witness, Board Chair-Elect of American Medical Informatics Association”Map →

personLamar Alexander“Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions”Map →

organizationSenate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions“Congressional committee conducting the hearing”Map →

personPatty Murray“U.S. Senator from Washington”Map →

personNeal L. Patterson“Witness, CEO of Cerner Corporation”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance60
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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