WHEREAS, the 1999 Institute of Medicine Report, To Err Is Human, reported that 44,000-98,000 U.S. residents die annually from medical errors; and
WHEREAS, the inclusion of health information technology in nationwide efforts to improve quality and safety has been a bipartisan and cross-governmental initiative recognized by seven consecutive sessions of Congress, three consecutive Presidents, and multiple federal agencies who have all committed to applying health IT solutions to simultaneously improve outcomes of care and address the rising costs of care delivery; and
WHEREAS, in 2009 President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law providing historic investment in health IT, including funding incentives for adopting electronic health records that will help to reduce costs and improve quality while ensuring patients’ privacy; and
WHEREAS, Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and her Department have worked tirelessly to implement key regulations designed to transform healthcare using IT; therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the authority vested in its Board of Directors by the more than 35,000 individual members, 500 corporate members, and 120 affiliate members, HIMSS endorses the Congressional mandate providing critical funding to realize the widespread adoption and meaningful use of health IT in order to improve patient care, save lives and transform healthcare into a more effective delivery system.
RSS