HEALTH CARE ALERT: Senate Approves Bill to Improve Electronic Health Care System

March 01, 2016

Senate Approves Bill to Improve Electronic Health Care System; Hacking of Records Increased 11,000 Percent Last Year

Click here to read The Improving Health Act Bill (Approved by Senate HELP Committee)

In keeping with Taylor Porter’s commitment to its health care clients to actively monitor the latest state and federal regulatory developments within the health care industry, our firm wants to make clients aware of two noteworthy stories this week that focus on the growing concern of health information technology issues and a new federal bill being introduced to help regulate electronic health record systems.

Reported by BNA Bloomberg, “Senate Committee Approves Health IT Bill” reports news that the Senate HELP Committee approved The Improving Health IT Act that creates a star rating program for federally certified electronic health record systems and directs federal regulators to address hospitals' ongoing issue with matching patients to their electronic health records and electronically exchanging patient records with other health-care providers. The bill is part of a slate of bills that make up the Senate's version of the 21st Century Cures bill (H.R. 6) that passed the House last July.

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) called the bill an “important and far-reaching piece of legislation.” The HELP Committee expects to approve more than 30 bills by April that together will act as a companion to the House's Cures bill, Alexander said.

The bill comes on the heels of an NBC News report that last year health care record hacking increased 11,000 percent as roughly one out of every three Americans had their health care records compromised and there were approximately 100 million health care records stolen last year. Criminals can use health care records to order prescriptions, pay for treatments and surgery and even file false tax returns.

Health information sharing, and the rules and regulations of software, licensing and technology issues, are important issues to our health care clients, and these issues are coming to the forefront as more is being done to try to curb record hacking with the advances of technology.

Authored by:

Cindy M. Amedee
225.381.0279
cindy.amedee@taylorporter.com

Taylor Porter’s Health Care Practice Team can help clients understand these issues and prepare themselves to take proactive measures in medical records, e-health issues and HIPAA privacy and security to protect the information of their patients. 

About Taylor Porter

Founded more than 100 years ago in Louisiana’s state capitol Baton Rouge, Taylor Porter is "Louisiana's Law Firm" and one of the oldest, largest and most respected law firms in Louisiana, with a diverse range of local, regional, national and international clients in the most complex transactions and litigation across a variety of industries. As a full-service, general law practice with more than 70 attorneys, Taylor Porter’s capabilities cover the complete spectrum of civil law, including state and federal trial and appellate practice.

Please note that this client alert is for informational purposes only. For legal advice pertaining to your own company and interests on this new developing information, please consult one of our Taylor Porter attorneys or your existing representation.

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