Bill seeks to assist doctors in buying health technology
A congressman proposes creating an EMR trust fund.
By Tyler Chin, amednews staff. April 3, 2006.
Trying to accelerate physician adoption of electronic medical records, Rep. Jon C. Porter (R, Nev.) has introduced legislation to establish a trust fund to help doctors buy EMRs.
Under the bill, introduced March 2, private companies would be allowed to contribute into a trust fund operated by the Office of Personnel Management that would award grants to help doctors pay for EMRs. The bill would exempt the trust fund from Stark and antitrust laws, removing legal barriers that prevent many parties from giving or helping doctors acquire such systems, Porter said.
A major reason Porter said he introduced the bill, co-sponsored by Rep. William L. Clay Jr. (D, Mo.), is that as small business owners, doctors need more help than other industry players, such as insurers.
To help spur adoption, Porter's bill would require health plans participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to provide electronic personal health records to all 8 million participants -- federal employees and their families.
Under the terms of their contracts with OPM, insurers are required to set aside 4% of the value of their contract into a reserve fund. The bill would allow insurers to take out 1% of that money to help defray their cost of providing personal health records to federal employees and their families.
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