[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 168 (Tuesday, November 10, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S11349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY:
  S. 2765. A bill to amend the Small Business Act to authorize loan 
guarantees for health information technology; to the Committee on Small 
Business and Entrepreneurship.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, as we move forward in modernizing our 
health care system, we must not forget the small businesses that simply 
cannot afford the upfront costs of installing new health information 
technology. That is why today I am introducing the Small Business 
Health Information Technology Financing Act. This bill will amend the 
Small Busis Act to allow the administrator of the Small Business 
Administration to guarantee up to 90 percent of the amount of a loan to 
small business health professionals to be used for the purchase and 
installation of health information technology. The loans can be used 
for computer hardware, software and other technology that will assist 
in the use of electronic health records and prescriptions.
  A modernized health system using electronic prescribing and 
electronic health records will help improve patient care while reducing 
costs. Electronic prescribing not only saves money through improved 
efficiency, but more importantly, it reduces medical errors and saves 
lives. According to the Institute of Medicine, 1/3 of written 
prescriptions require follow-up clarification, with medication mistakes 
causing 7,000 deaths and 1.5 million injuries per year. The Medicare 
Improvements for Patients and Providers Act that was enacted into law 
in July 2008 included provisions from my electronic prescribing bill, 
providing incentive payments for medical professionals using electronic 
prescribing. Now we must take an additional step to make health IT 
accessible to small providers so they can afford to implement new 
technology such as e-prescribing and electronic health records.
  Small businesses employ more than half of all private sector 
employees and have generated 64 percent of net new jobs in the past 15 
years. Access to capital for small health providers not only benefits 
patients but also boosts small businesses in the medical field. Helping 
small businesses grow and succeed is critical as we look to create jobs 
and strengthen the economy.
  It is my hope that we can move forward with this bill in a bi-
partisan manner. I ask all of my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
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