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May 12, 2005 7:47 am US/Eastern
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Hillary And Newt Join Forces
Both Call For Better Electronic Record Keeping
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are joining forces on the very issue that once made them arch enemies.
No, it's not the end of the world, joked Clinton, a New York Democrat.
The two on Wednesday called for a greater federal presence in electronic record keeping to improve health care.
"He and I have a lot in common in the way we see these problems we have to deal with in order to have a 21st century health care system," she said.
Those problems are an overreliance on paper records that not only is unsafe for patients, but an inefficiency that increases the cost of health care. The two voiced support for a bill sponsored by Reps. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., and Tim Murphy, R-Pa.
The bill would fund regional planning for electronic record keeping and increase reimbursement rates paid to doctors who participate in the networks. Many health care providers have already moved to a paperless record keeping system, but health experts say the federal government can do more to speed the transformation.
Clinton said major provisions of the House bill would likely be included in a more comprehensive Senate bill that she plans to introduce later this year. She said she has been working with Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a physician, in developing the legislation.
"I can't think of another (industry) that is so reliant on pen and paper," Clinton added.
Gingrich said some 8,000 patients a year die from taking the wrong prescriptions, and 44,000 others die each year because of medical errors. Those numbers would be dramatically reduced through greater use of computer technology, he said.
"The time is right this year to do something dramatic," Gingrich said.
Clinton and Gingrich were enemies about a decade ago when he led the GOP's opposition to President Clinton's stab at health care reform. Hillary Rodham Clinton, as first lady, had led the administration effort. Neither Gingrich nor Clinton referred to that time, choosing instead to praise each other.
Across town, business leaders were talking about the same issue with Mike Leavitt, the secretary of Health and Human Services, and Treasury Secretary John Snow. The business leaders, members of the Business Roundtable, also called for a greater federal role in transforming health care.
"Members were confident that, if the federal government provides direction, leads by example, and exerts its broad market leverage as purchaser and provider, the private sector will follow suit," says a report prepared for the organization by the Lewin Group, Inc.
Leavitt said the report would help the Bush administration as it puts forth its own plan for enhancing the use of technology in health care. Politically, it's easier to push for specific legislation once the business community has announced a need for it. Business leaders view technology as one way to slow rising health care costs.
Leavitt said the administration wants to ensure that any proposal it endorses results from a collaborative discussion that involves health care providers, patients, the government and vendors.
"You will see that (collaboration) occur in the months to come on an aggressive schedule," Leavitt said.
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)