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January 28, 2005
The Seattle Times: Bush offers prescription for high-tech health care
The Seattle Times: Bush offers prescription for high-tech health care
Bush offers prescription for high-tech health care
By Warren Vieth
Los Angeles Times
CLEVELAND — President Bush prodded doctors and hospitals yesterday to make better use of computers to share patient information, saying the health-care industry's continued reliance on paper records was inflating costs and undermining care.
Participating in a talk-show-style "conversation" with medical personnel at the Cleveland Clinic medical complex, Bush said developing a nationwide data-sharing network was an integral part of his agenda for reducing health-care costs. "Most industries in America have used information technology to make their businesses more cost-effective ... and the truth of the matter is, health care hasn't," Bush said.
Bush said the responsibility for adopting advanced information technology would remain in the private sector, but Washington planned to play a role by providing money for demonstration projects.
The White House said an important step would be "e-prescribing," a program that would enable Medicare doctors, participants and pharmacists to fill prescriptions by computer.
Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services issued rules to implement the program, which will begin when the new Medicare prescription-drug benefit takes effect in January 2006.
In addition, the White House said the president's proposed 2006 budget would seek $125 million for projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of health-care information technology. The president also will ask Congress to pass a supplemental appropriation which would double this year's funding to $100 million.
"When you multiply the efficiencies to be gained all across the spectrum ... some predict that you can save 20 percent off the cost of health care as a result of the advent of information technology," Bush said.
Bush's information-technology initiative is one of the least-controversial elements of his health-care agenda, which includes expanded use of tax-sheltered health-savings accounts and limits on medical-malpractice jury awards.
Sen. John Kerry took on those proposals yesterday in his first major speech since losing to Bush in November, saying the plans won't meet the needs of children and low-income families who don't have health coverage.
Kerry, D-Mass., is pushing a proposal, dubbed "Kids First," that would cover the nation's 11 million uninsured children. He said the cost — which aides later estimated at about $2 billion a year — would be covered by canceling "a small portion" of the Bush administration's tax cuts.
Material from The Associated Press and The Washington Post is included in this report.
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