Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is continuing to track new developments in healthcare IT legislation now under Congressional consideration as part of its National Legislation Crosswalk. The Crosswalk was originally developed in June by the HIMSS Advocacy team. This tracking tool is designed to assist healthcare stakeholders in keeping up-to-date and provides a tool to compare and contrast provisions of the legislation.

New to this update is the combo bill Wired for Health Care Quality Act (S.1418) that combines portions of two bills originally sponsored by two different bi-partisan Senate teams.

Also new to the Crosswalk is the Medicare Value Purchasing Act of 2005, sponsored by Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Max Baucus (D-MT). The bill links a portion of Medicare payments to the quality of services delivered by hospitals, physicians, plans and other providers of care.
   
The legislation now summarized on the HIMSS Healthcare IT Legislation Crosswalk includes the:

• National Health Information Incentive Act of 2005 (H.R. 747)
• 21st Century Health Information Act of 2005 (H.R. 2234)
• Affordable Health Care Act (S.16)
• Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (S.544)
• Information Technology for Health Care Quality Act (S. 1223)
• The Health Information Technology Act of 2005 (S. 1227)
• Wired For Health Care Quality Act (S.1418)
• Medicare Value Purchasing Act of 2005 (S. 1356)

 
To access the HIMSS National Legislation Crosswalk, visit http://www.himss.org/advocacy/cross_walk.asp