The United States Congress is considering a bill that would provide grants, loans, and tax incentives to physicians for the purchase of health care information technology. The bill—the National Health Information Incentive Act, introduced by Reps Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas) and Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.)—would make it possible for solo and small-group physician practices to adopt health care information technology (HIT), such as electronic health records, electronic prescribing systems, evidence-based clinical decision tools, remote monitoring, patient registries, and secure e-mail.

The bill not only includes one-time financial incentives to enable small-group physicians to invest in the technology, but also provides sustained funding to encourage its continued use to advance patient care, reduce medical errors, improve efficiency, and save money.

Click here to read the full text of this bill.

Contact: Elizabeth McNeil, 415/882-3376 or emcneil@cmanet.org.