BILL REQ. #: S-1853.1
| State of Washington | 59th Legislature | 2005 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 03/02/05.
AN ACT Relating to electronic medical records and health information technologies; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The Washington state health care
authority shall appoint a Washington health information infrastructure
advisory board composed of seven to twelve members.
(2) Membership shall include representatives of the provider
community, including hospitals, information technology experts, health
care policy experts, consumers, the director of the department of
information services or the director's designee, and the agency medical
directors group.
(3) The authority shall appoint the chair of the advisory board.
(4) The members of the advisory board shall receive no
compensation, but shall be reimbursed for expenses under RCW 43.03.050
and 43.03.060.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 (1) The Washington state health care
authority, in collaboration with the advisory board, shall develop a
strategy for the adoption and use of electronic medical records and
health information technologies that are consistent with emerging
national standards and promote interoperability of health information
systems. The strategy should:
(a) Be informed by research into, and identification of the best
practices in, electronic medical records systems and health information
technologies, including system design, implementation, operation, and
evaluation;
(b) Be designed to encourage greater adoption of electronic medical
record and health information technologies among the state's health
care providers that reduce medical errors and enable patients to make
better decisions about their own health care by promoting secure access
to medical records online; and
(c) Seek to promote standards and systems that are compatible with
current adopters of electronic medical record systems in Washington.
(2) The authority, in collaboration with the advisory board, shall
identify obstacles to the implementation of an effective health
information infrastructure in the state and provide policy
recommendations to remove or minimize those obstacles and identify
state health care purchasing strategies that can provide incentives to
providers and organizations that adopt effective health information
technologies.
(3) The authority shall advise appropriate parties within the
legislature and the executive branch on issues related to the
development and implementation of a health information infrastructure.
(4) The authority, in collaboration with the advisory board, shall
ensure that the strategy and plan preserve the privacy and security of
health information, as required by state and federal law.
(5) As used in this section, "health information technologies"
means a computerized system that provides access to patients' medical
records in an electronic format, including e-mail communication,
clinical alerts and reminders, and other information technologies as
prescribed by the administrator.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 (1) The Washington state health care
authority shall provide staff support to the advisory board. In
addition, all agencies under the control of the governor are directed,
and all other agencies are requested, to render full assistance and
cooperation to the advisory board.
(2) The authority may enter into contracts that are necessary or
proper to carry out this act to support the advisory board and the
authority in the performance of their duties. Such contracts may be
awarded for purposes including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Assessing the existing information technology systems of health
care providers, state agencies, and third-party payers;
(b) Identifying current national trends in the development of
health information systems and standards;
(c) Determining the feasibility of integrating and connecting
existing systems with emerging and recommended health information
standards and technologies; and
(d) Identifying available government or private grants for the
study of or implementation of health information systems.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 The authority, in collaboration with the
advisory board, shall submit an interim status report on its
preliminary findings by December 1, 2005. A final report of findings
and recommendations shall be submitted by December 1, 2006.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 This act expires December 1, 2006.