CHIME Statement on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Hearing

Statement from CHIME Vice President of Public Policy, Jeffery Smith, M.P.P.

ANN ARBOR, MI, March 18, 2015 – Tuesday’s hearing underlined a number of important challenges facing our industry, including costs, compliance burdens and a lack of data exchange. These challenges are real and they are undermining a tremendous amount of progress made since passage of HITECH. But without common, enforceable standards in health IT there is little wonder that Congress is asking where the $35 billion has gone.

By leveraging national standards, every health IT developer can build towards a common foundation, and every provider can obtain the information they need at the point of care. Without standards for patient identity matching, record locators and continued refinement of content, vocabulary and transmission standards we will be having a replay of this hearing in another five years.

CHIME has long-called for a course correction to Meaningful Use and we hope that forthcoming rules from CMS and ONC heed those calls. Absent much needed reforms to the program, Congress should support legislative solutions that will put MU back on a sustainable track, which will then encourage widespread use of health IT and interoperability.

CHIME is encouraged that such discussion are being held at the highest levels of the legislative branch and we are heartened to know that Senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will continue their focus through additional hearings.

Contact
Stephanie Fraser
Director of Communications and Corporate Relations
734.665.0000
[email protected]