Edolphus Towns: “I am really concerned that, in implementing any health information technology initiative, that we will not have the best…”

“I am really concerned that, in implementing any health information technology initiative, that we will not have the best information to address the needs of medically underserved areas. My amendment to H.R. 4157 creates a critically important study that would give us the benchmarks to use in implementing this technology in these communities, both urban and rural. First, the proposed study will examine and determine the impact of health information technology on improving the capacity of primary care providers in medically underserved communities. Second, the study would identify the barriers to the implementation of health information technology in these communities. Third, the study will assess the feasibility and costs associated with implementing health information technology in these communities. Some of the Nation's finest foundations have done tremendous work in how health information technology can be used in hard-to-reach and difficult areas to serve in our Nation. They include the Markle Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. We want to incorporate this work and other's work done by the Agency For Health Care Research and Quality, and make sure it is applied to the development and implementation of health information technology and medically underserved areas. For these reasons, Mr.…”