News in brief - Feb. 28, 2005

Acting chief nominated to FDA helm - Bill would help doctors adopt HIT

Acting chief nominated to FDA helm

President Bush has nominated Lester Crawford, DVM, acting director of the Food and Drug Administration since March 2004, to serve as the agency's permanent leader.

Dr. Crawford took up his current role when then FDA chief Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, moved over to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The FDA chief nominee faces lingering concerns about the recent problems with FDA approval and post-market surveillance of some prescription drugs, especially COX-2 inhibitors. Senate confirmation hearings are likely to bring up questions about the agency's relationship to industry and what needs to be done to rebuild the FDA's reputation.

Bill would help doctors adopt HIT

Reps. John McHugh (R, N.Y.) and Charles Gonzalez (D, Texas) have introduced legislation designed to facilitate broader adoption of health information technology in physicians' offices. The National Health Information Incentive Act would help create national standards for interoperability and establish pilot projects to test the functionality of systems. The bill also contains financial incentives to help small practices afford the upfront cost of purchasing and installing these systems.

"Before America's patients can truly reap the benefits of health information technology, it must be available and working where most people receive care," said Charles Francis, MD, president of the American College of Physicians, in announcing support for the measure. According to the ACP, it costs an average of $30,000 per physician to switch to an electronic health records system, a price tag that is too high for many small practices.