THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY SHAPIRO, BEAR, BELFANTI, BEYER, BISHOP, BRIGGS, CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, CONKLIN, D. COSTA, CUTLER, DALEY, DeLUCA, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRELL, GRUCELA, HARHART, HELM, HENNESSEY, HESS, KILLION, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, KOTIK, MANN, MARSHALL, MATZIE, MELIO, MILLARD, MIRABITO, MURPHY, M. O'BRIEN, PARKER, PASHINSKI, PAYTON, PHILLIPS, QUINN, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROSS, SAINATO, SANTARSIERO, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, M. SMITH, VULAKOVICH, WHEATLEY AND ROCK, APRIL 15, 2010

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, APRIL 15, 2010  

A RESOLUTION

Designating April 20, 2010, as "Pennsylvania Health Care

Information Technology Day."

WHEREAS, Health care costs represent 16% of gross domestic

product nationally; and

WHEREAS, Seventy percent of health care transactions are

paper based; and

WHEREAS, The health care industry invests only 5% of revenue

on information technology and management systems, versus 10.5%

of other data-intensive industries, such as banking; and

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery

and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5, 123 Stat. 115),

which allocates $19.2 billion to invest in health care

information technology; and

WHEREAS, A recent study by the Commonwealth Fund has

demonstrated that the use of automated clinical decision support

systems can result in the net reduction of $538 per patient per

hospital stay; and

WHEREAS, The Institute of Medicine reports there are at least

1.5 million preventable adverse drug events per year, each

adding more than $8,700 to the cost of a hospital stay; and

WHEREAS, This nation spends more than $1.9 trillion on health

care per year, yet one-half of that spending is unnecessary

because it is spent on clinical and administrative waste, theft

and excess cost; and

WHEREAS, The American Hospital Association reports that this

Commonwealth's hospitals and health systems are outpacing

hospitals nationally in their adoption and use of clinical

information technology and information management systems; 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 employed at their

sites; and

WHEREAS, Despite leadership in this area, only 17% of

hospitals in this Commonwealth report that most of their medical

practitioners routinely use information technology for clinical

interventions, such as ordering medications; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate April

20, 2010, as "Pennsylvania Health Care Information Technology

Day"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the

importance of raising awareness of health care information

technology and the vital role it will play in helping to save

lives and reduce the cost of health care for all citizens of

this Commonwealth; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives welcome friends,

supporters and members of the Healthcare Information and

Management Systems Society on their visit to Harrisburg and the

State Capitol to promote better health care in this Commonwealth

through broader adoption of advanced health care information

technology and management systems on this "Pennsylvania Health

Care Information Technology Day."