[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 11966]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              NATIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WEEK

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 589, which was 
submitted earlier today by Senator Stabenow of Michigan.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 589) designating the week beginning 
     June 9, 2008, as ``National Health Information Technology 
     Week.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any 
statements related to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 589) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 589

       Whereas the Healthcare Information and Management Systems 
     Society has worked collaboratively with more than 60 
     stakeholder organizations for more than 47 years to transform 
     healthcare with improved uses of information technology and 
     management systems;
       Whereas the Center for Information Technology Leadership 
     estimates that the implementation of national standards for 
     interoperability and the exchange of health information would 
     save the United States resources relating to healthcare each 
     year;
       Whereas healthcare information technology has been shown to 
     improve the quality and safety of the delivery of healthcare 
     in the United States;
       Whereas healthcare information technology and management 
     systems have been recognized as essential tools for improving 
     the quality and cost efficiency of the healthcare system;
       Whereas the President and the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services have made a commitment to leverage the benefits of 
     the healthcare information technology and management systems 
     by establishing the Office of the National Coordinator for 
     Health Information Technology and the American Health 
     Information Community;
       Whereas Congress has placed an emphasis on improving the 
     quality and safety of the delivery of healthcare in the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, since 2006, organizations across the United States 
     have come together to support National Health Information 
     Technology Week to improve public awareness relating to the 
     potential benefits of the improved quality and cost 
     efficiency that the healthcare system could achieve by 
     implementing healthcare information technology: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week beginning June 9, 2008, as 
     ``National Health Information Technology Week'';
       (2) recognizes the value of healthcare information 
     technology and management systems in transforming healthcare 
     for the people of the United States; and
       (3) calls upon all stakeholders to promote the use of 
     healthcare information technology and management systems to 
     transform the United States healthcare system.

                          ____________________