<nobr>Feb 6, 2009</nobr>

ERIC Urges Balance on Health Information Technology and Privacy

Washington, D.C. -- In a letter sent today to all Members of Congress, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing America's major employers, commended Congress on its efforts to encourage the adoption of health information technology (HIT), but warned that the legislation as included in the economic stimulus legislation my fall short of key objectives.

Noting that ERIC has been engaged on this issue for almost 20 years, ERIC President Mark Ugoretz wrote that, "We are concerned, however, that in the rush to fashion an information technology system that protects against privacy concerns -- a balancing effort that has been under negotiation for two decades -- we may fall short of both objectives."

Ugoretz said that "the Congressional Budget Office and other independent evaluators project that the widespread adoption of portable, interoperable electronic health records will save billions of dollars by significantly reducing medical and prescribing errors that too often lead to terrible outcomes for patients, wastes money for both private and public plans, and would be totally unacceptable in any other enterprise."

To ensure that HIT is able to flow efficiently and appropriately, while safeguarding patient privacy, ERIC recommends that Congress:

• Extend current HIPAA rules to cover electronic health records


• Include reasonable, intelligible, practical data disclosure accounting rules


• Not discourage disease management, pharmacy benefit management, or third-party care coordination


• Specify that HIT rules be federally enforced, consistent with other statutes, and preempt overlapping or conflicting state and local rules

A link to ERIC's letter appears below.

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For more information:
Ted Godbout
Manager, Communications
The ERISA Industry Committee
1400 L Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 789-1400
Fax: (202) 789-1120
tgodbout@eric.org
www.eric.org
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The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) is a non-profit association committed to representing the advancement of the employee retirement, health, and compensation plans of America's largest employers. ERIC's members provide benchmark retirement, health care coverage, compensation, and other economic security benefits directly to tens of millions of active and retired workers and their families. ERIC has a strong interest in proposals affecting its members' ability to deliver those benefits, their cost and their effectiveness, as well as the role of those benefits in the American economy.

ERIC Letter to Congress

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