Bill would create federal research institute

This is an idea whose time has come. In every other industry, information technology is used to sift through raw data on a scale that the human brain cannot, in order to "see" the patterns in that data. All of the players in the healthcare system can benefit from an approach that looks through the patient history data, inclusive of symptoms, treatments and results to determine optimal treatment protocols in the future. That is not to say, however, that all players will support such an effort. Again, other industries show this same dynamic. The benefits of this approach will win carry the day in the end. I only hope this can happen sooner rather than later.

I don't believe the purpose of this new federal institute is to promote health IT in optimal patient care, as Tom commented above. At first it may also seem the purpose of this organization is to produce optimal clinical guidelines for patient care - this is also not likely to be the case since optimal medical guidelines are constantly being updated by medical/health researchers. The core function of this new entity will likely be focused on cutting medical costs by identifying cost-effective vs. cost-ineffective treatments. Not quite as noble an effort (although a necessary one) as they're trying to make it seem, and it's funny to note that nowhere in the institute's name (Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute) does the word "Cost" appear.