PRINTER'S NO. 818
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
109
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY VOGEL, BROWNE, GREENLEAF, SABATINA, BREWSTER,
RAFFERTY, FONTANA, FOLMER, DINNIMAN AND BLAKE, MAY 9, 2017
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MAY 9, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Designating May 9, 2017, as "Pennsylvania Health Care
Information Technology Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, in 2015 United States health care spending grew 5.8%,
reaching $3.2 trillion or $9,990 per person; and
WHEREAS, As a share of the nation's gross domestic product,
health care spending accounted for 17.8% in 2015; and
WHEREAS, Health care spending has risen more than 40% in the
last decade; and
WHEREAS, The health care industry invests only 5% of its
revenue on information technology and management systems versus
10.5% of other data-intensive industries, such as banking; and
WHEREAS, A recent study by the Commonwealth Fund has
demonstrated that the use of automated clinical decision support
systems can result in a net reduction of $538 per patient per
hospital stay; and
WHEREAS, The Institute of Medicine reports that there are at
least 1.5 million preventable adverse drug events per year, each
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
adding more than $8,700 to the cost of a hospital stay; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
reports that, between 2011 and 2015, 50,607 providers and
facilities in Pennsylvania received $1.4 billion in Federal
incentive payments to implement electronic health care records;
and
WHEREAS, Ninety-seven percent of eligible hospitals and 56%
of ambulatory health care providers in Pennsylvania have
adopted, upgraded or demonstrated meaningful use of an
electronic health care record system in 2015; and
WHEREAS, Health care providers in this Commonwealth report an
improved ability to recruit physicians coming out of medical
school when advanced information technology is deployed at their
sites; and
WHEREAS, Supporters and members of the Healthcare Information
and Management Systems Society advocate for the following:
(1) Improved access to health care for rural
Pennsylvanians through the expanded use of telehealth.
(2) Funding for work force development programs to help
increase the health care and information technology work
force in this Commonwealth.
(3) The adoption of policies that promote
interoperability standards which enable cooperation by all
provider communities in this Commonwealth;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate May 9, 2017, as
"Pennsylvania Health Care Information Technology Awareness Day"
in Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize the importance of raising
awareness of health care information technology and the
20170SR0109PN0818 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
advancement of the health care information exchange to help
improve the quality of health care, save lives and reduce the
cost of health care for all Pennsylvanians; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate welcome members and supporters of
the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society to the
State Capitol to promote better health care in this Commonwealth
through broader adoption of health care information technology
and the advancement of a Statewide health care information
exchange.
20170SR0109PN0818 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9