Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Media, Arts, Science, and Technology, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 78 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to convene a consortium to develop standards for electronic health and medical records management in this State.

Kaiser Permanente, the Acting Dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Hawaii Business Health Council, Quality Healthcare Alliance, Hawaiian Tug & Barge/Young Brothers, Ltd., Punahou School, and one individual submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Department of Health submitted comments.

A digital medical information system could reduce paper handling, increase efficiency, eliminate unnecessary or duplicative tests, reduce medical errors, and cut health care spending. Furthermore, a national health information network comprised of patient information that is stripped of personal identification could be used for national health research projects, impartial assessments of drug effectiveness, and other data-mining possibilities.

As one proponent noted, a collaborative effort will result in greater adoption and acceptance of electronic health and medical records management practices by public and private sector health care providers and related entities because a supported standard of well-defined technical guidelines will reduce implementation costs and risks. Proponents also noted the benefit health and medical records management could have on disease surveillance in areas such as bioterrorism and emerging epidemics.

Upon further consideration, your Committees have amended this measure by including language regarding the possibility that national interoperability standards for electronic health records could be developed and that if national standards should emerge, the consortium should adopt them if they are congruous with this State's needs and circumstances.

Your Committees further amended this measure by including the Hawaii Business Health Council and the Hawaii Health Management Group to the agencies requested to convene the consortium.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Media, Arts, Science, and Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 78, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 78, S.D. 1.