Senate holds hearing on 'achieving the promise' of health IT

The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee held a hearing this afternoon on implementing the 21st Century Cures Act to achieve the promise of health information technology. Among other provisions, the 2016 law requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a strategy and recommendations to reduce regulatory or administrative burdens related to electronic health records use. In a statement submitted to the committee, AHA urged the administration and Congress to consider cancelling Stage 3 meaningful use, among other actions, noting a new AHA study that found non-clinical regulatory requirements cost providers nearly $39 billion a year and divert clinicians from patient care. Witnesses at the hearing included officials from HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Office of Inspector General.