Senate health IT bill clears committee

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today voted 22-0 to approve the Improving Health Information Technology Act (S. 2511), bipartisan legislation aimed at making electronic health records more interoperable. In comments submitted to the committee, AHA said it appreciates the legislation’s “acknowledgement of the burdens facing providers and the focus on the federal EHR certification program.” However, it expressed concern with the bill’s information blocking provisions and made other recommendations. The committee also approved six other bills today, including legislation (S. 2503) that would require makers of reusable medical devices such as duodenoscopes to submit proposed cleaning instructions and validation data to the Food and Drug Administration before marketing and require FDA to clarify when modified devices must obtain clearance. The bills are the first in a series that could serve as a companion to 21st Century Cures legislation passed by the House last year. The committee expects to mark up additional bills March 9 and April 6.