Building Careers and Shaping Public Policy

8 August 2005

The Honorable Michael B. Enzi
Chair, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The IEEE-USA would like to take this opportunity to commend the Committee on passage of the "Wired for Health Care Quality Act" (S. 1418). As an organization of technical professionals, we understand and fully support the use of leading-edge information technology to ensure the quality and reliability of healthcare delivery systems, while respecting the privacy and security of patient health information and improving the cost-efficiency of healthcare.

We support the establishment of a public-private American Health Information Collaborative to identify uniform national data standards and implementation policies for the adoption of health information technology.

IEEE-USA feels that this approach would not only hasten the development of health information technology standards, but also provide a means for guaranteeing interoperability. The private sector aspect of such an organization would encourage the rapid development and deployment of the necessary technology.

The IEEE-USA also applauds the proposal to establish health information network demonstration programs. As stated in our position paper, "National Health Information Network, With Emphasis on Security and Privacy Issues," we are strong supporters of the use of NHIN to enable the electronic sharing of health information, and to constrain the rising cost of providing high-quality healthcare. You can view this and other position papers relating to healthcare technology and quality of service at our website, http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/index.html#mtp

IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of the IEEE. It was created in 1973 to advance the public good and promote the careers and public policy interests of the more than 220,000 technology professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional society. For more information, go to http://www.ieeeusa.org. If we can be of further assistance, please contact Deborah Rudolph in our Washington office at (202) 785-0017 x 8332 or email at d.rudolph@ieee.org.
 

Sincerely,

Gerard A. Alphonse
President, IEEE-USA
 

Also sent to Members of the Senate HELP Committee