US Bill to sponsor interoperability in healthcare funding.

["David Webber \(XML\)" <david@drrw.info>]

FYI - this obviously would be very good for OASIS specifications.

DW

(June 13, 2005) The federal government would provide $250 million in
grants--and another $250 million in loans--in each fiscal year from 2006
through 2011 to support development of a national health information network
under legislation introduced in the Senate. Grant recipients would be
required to provide matching funds of at least 20%.
Senate Bill 1223 from Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) also would authorize
the government to adopt standards that promote interoperability of
information systems within two years of adoption.

The legislation further would create the Office of Health Information
Technology within the executive office of the president. Duties of the
office would be similar to those of the Office of the National Coordinator
for Health Information Technology within the Department of Health and Human
Services.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee. Full text is available at http://thomas.loc.gov.

More legislation to promote development of a national health information
network is expected from Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Debbie Stabenow
(R-Mich.), and Majority Leader William Frist (R-Tenn.) and Hillary Clinton
(D-N.Y.).