There appears to be growing bipartisan support for the medical records bill recently introduced in Washington. Senators Hilary Clinton (D-NY) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) talked about the need for the legislation in a joint appearance on NBC's Today Show this morning. Clinton said the law will help get hospitals out of "the dark ages."
Frist, a licensed physician, said Washington must give hospitals the tools they need to cut down on the number of preventable medical errors. The Senate Majority Leader described a hypothetical emergency situation in which a patient arrives at a hospital without a medical record. "Every moment counts when their medical record is not there. (Medical) History, allergies," he said. "Under our bill, we lower the cost of healthcare and limit errors and make the records available to the hospital, the patient and the physician."
- see this story from the Associated Press