Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.R. No. 88 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this resolution is to reduce health care costs by requesting the collaborative development of standards for electronic health and medical records management.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Health, University of Hawaii, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Hawaii Independent Physicians Association, and John A. Burns School of Medicine. The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism supported the intent of this measure.

Your Committee finds that there is widespread agreement that the nation's accumulated medical files need to move into the digital era so that eventually, each person has an electronic health record that can travel across networks and be read by doctors, hospitals, insurers, and the patients themselves. Moving to electronic records would reduce medical costs by eliminating duplicative tests, reducing medical errors, and establishing a database for health research.

This resolution requests the convening of an industry-wide consortium to take the initial steps toward development of basic standards for electronic health and medical records management that must be adopted if an interchange of information is to occur.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 88 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.