SPOTLIGHT: House to consider health IT legislation

The House is expected to take up legislation that would encourage the adoption of information technology in healthcare and establish national standards on privacy and the implementation of new systems. HR 4157 was sponsored by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Rep. Nathan Deal (D-GA). Critics note that the new privacy standard would take precedence over existing state law in many cases. CQ HealthBeat reports that the legislation would increase the number of billing codes that providers are responsible for from about 20,000 to over 200,000. Bill