HIT budget plan criticized as insufficient
February 25th, 2008 Posted by: Dr. Dobson
Washington — Funding levels for health information technology programs in President Bush’s fiscal 2009 budget have come under fire in recent weeks from some analysts and Democratic lawmakers. They say the proposed investment isn’t enough to advance the administration’s goal of widespread electronic health record use by 2014.
The $3.1 trillion budget plan would boost spending for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology by 9%, or $5.5 million, to $66.1 million. It also proposed keeping HIT funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at last year’s level of $44.8 million. AHRQ uses these funds to test HIT systems and recommend best practices. The agency would continue focusing resources on information technology investments that enhance patient safety.
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