A bipartisan pair of senators Tuesday introduced legislation aimed at improving electronic health records’ transparency and accountability.
Since the spring, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee members have been dissecting electronic health records, unearthing a litany of problems with this information technology. And in the middle of one such hearing, a bipartisan consensus emerged—one that turned into the bill introduced Tuesday.
As Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse recalls, he heard Sen. Bill Cassidy asking tough questions on gag orders barring doctors and hospitals from discussing specific glitches in their purchased systems. “I said right across the hearing room, ‘If you’re looking for a cosponsor on that, let me know,’” Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, told National Journal.”
