States Tripled Number of HIT Bills Enacted in 2007-08
According to a report released last week by the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), lawmakers around the country introduced more than 370 bills relating to health information technology (HIT) during an 18-month period between 2007 and 2008.
The report noted that 132 bills containing HIT provisions were enacted in 44 states and the District of Columbia during the 2007-08 period studied by NCSL. That was a three-fold increased in bills enacted compared to the same period from 2005 to 2006, NCSL researchers said.
The only states that did not enact bills with HIT provisions during the 2007-08 period were Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, according to the report.
The majority of the bills relate to financing and planning efforts, NCSL noted.
Six states enacted comprehensive measures aimed at protecting patient privacy while facilitating the exchange of health data:
- Indiana SB 511 (enacted 5/2/07)
- Massachusetts SB 2863 (enacted 8/10/08)
- Minnesota HB 1078 (enacted 5/25/07)
- Rhode Island HB 7409 (enacted 7/10/08)
- Texas HB 1066 (enacted 6/15/07)
- Vermont HB 229 (enacted 6/5/07)
Click here to access the entire report.