07-R379

2007 -- S 1085

Enacted 06/21/07

J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N

ENDORSING THE ADOPTION OF ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS AND HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE SYSTEMS THAT IMPROVE THE QUALITY, SAFETY AND VALUE OF HEALTH CARE

Introduced By: Senators C Levesque, Paiva-Weed, Perry, Gibbs, and Sheehan

Date Introduced: June 07, 2007

     WHEREAS, The people of Rhode Island expect health care services to be high quality,

safe and of high value; and

     WHEREAS, The Institute of Medicine has endorsed the implementation of health

information technology including electronic medical records and the use of electronic prescribing

in order to increase the quality of health care delivery and to prevent medication errors; and

     WHEREAS, The implementation of health information technology will support the

Institute of Medicine's vision for a transformed health care system that is safe, effective, patient-

centered, timely, efficient and equitable; and

     WHEREAS, There are a growing number of physicians' offices, hospitals, laboratories,

pharmacies and other health care providers in Rhode Island that have already taken steps to adopt

electronic medical record systems; and

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure has endorsed the use of

electronic prescribing defined as the order, transmission and receipt of prescriptions electronically

between prescriber and pharmacy; and

     WHEREAS, Through a public-private partnership, the State has begun to build the initial

infrastructure for a statewide system that will facilitate the secure electronic health information

exchange across health care providers; and

     WHEREAS, In the 2006 legislative session, the General Assembly authorized the state's

financial contribution to the continued development, support and ongoing maintenance of a

statewide health information exchange system, conditional upon the financial contributions of

other federal and private entities; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence

Plantations hereby affirms the need to transition from a paper-based medical system to an

electronic-records system; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this General Assembly hereby endorses health care providers' ongoing

effort to implement and utilize to maximum capability electronic health records for their patients,

including all appropriate electronic health information exchange systems that will improve the

quality, safety and value of health care delivery in Rhode Island by facilitating the secure,

confidential and appropriate flow of health care information between health care providers and

consumer access to their own health information; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the General Assembly hereby endorses efforts by non-providers to

support the ongoing work to implement and utilize to maximum capability electronic health

records for all Rhode Islanders, including all appropriate electronic health information exchange

systems that will improve the quality, safety and value of health care delivery in Rhode Island by

facilitating the secure, confidential and appropriate flow of health care information between

health care providers, and consumer access to their own health information; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this General Assembly hereby recognizes that health care consumers

should expect that their health care providers will use electronic health records and information

systems that:

     (1) Protect the confidentiality of health care information in accordance with the providers'

professional obligations to their patients and the provisions of state and federal laws;

     (2) Provide the consumer with access to their healthcare information;

     (3) Provide appropriate security measures to protect electronic information against illicit

access;

     (4) Interface with the Rhode Island statewide electronic health information exchange that

facilitates the sharing of health information for coordination and continuity of care;

     (5) Improve health care providers' ability to apply the best available scientific evidence in

the provision of health care services;

     (6) Reduce waste and duplication of health care services; and

     (7) Improve the safety of health care by ensuring that electronic orders for laboratory

tests, medication and other services are created and transmitted electronically whenever possible;

and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this General Assembly hereby supports the goal that all health care

consumers in Rhode Island will be served by providers that have adopted electronic health

records systems by January 1, 2015.

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LC03264

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