IT: Congress weighs health IT legislation

ZDNet has a long article on the push for a national electronic records system. Yesterday, the Health subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee heard testimony on the issue. Lawmakers noted that progress has been "painfully slow" and that a system has the "potential to dramatically improve the safety and quality of health care for Americans," in the words of committee chair Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT).

National Health IT coordinator David Brailer said that government involvement in the process needs to be "market-driven" and "non-regulatory." Brailer told the committee that the two major obstacles to a national system are physician resistance and a lack of standards. The hearing comes as the Senate prepares to debate the Wired for Health Care Quality Act.

- see this story from ZDNet