House panel passes bill on health data technology standards

Lawmakers make changes to address industry groups' concerns about giving the National Institute of Standards and Technology too much power over the process.

By Dave Hansen, AMNews staff. Nov. 19, 2007.

Washington -- A House committee approved legislation that would make the National Institute of Standards and Technology responsible for setting federal health information technology standards and would make the institute available as a consulting body for private industry efforts.

The purpose is to speed up adoption of HIT, said Rep. Bart Gordon (D, Tenn.), who sponsored the measure.

The Oct. 24 House Science and Technology Committee vote followed a hearing last month at which HIT industry representatives questioned the need for involving NIST. Groups such as the Health Information Technology Standards Panel already are actively setting HIT standards, said General Electric Healthcare Integrated IT Solutions Vice President Michael Raymer at the hearing. NIST should play only a subordinate role, he said.

At the markup, the committee adopted several changes to the bill to indicate clearly that the institute would complement existing HIT efforts rather than commanding them. For example, language directing NIST to develop standards was changed to "participate in the development of technical standards."

"It's not up to NIST. The committee heard that loud and clear," said Don Asmonga, director of government relations for the American Health Information Management Assn., which supports the bill.