[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 102 (Friday, July 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1589]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROMOTION ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSS CARNAHAN

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 2006

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4157) to 
     amend the Social Security Act to encourage the dissemination, 
     security, confidentiality, and usefulness of health 
     information technology:

  Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this 
amendment, which is being offered by Congressman Smith and 
Congresswoman McMorris.
  This amendment, which establishes a 2-year project to demonstrate the 
impact of HIT on chronic disease management within the Medicaid 
population, will add a vital component to the underlying bill.
  I applaud Congressman Smith and Congresswoman McMorris for their 
leadership on this issue.
  I also rise today in strong support of forward movement on the 
implementation of health information technology, which has the 
potential to save the United States billions of dollars in health care 
costs each year.
  The bill before us today is not perfect, but it's a start. I look 
forward to continuing the debate on this issue and improving this bill 
in conference.

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