Mass. Bill Tackles HIT Adoption

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has signed into law a bill that will provide $25 million to promote the adoption of electronic records. The legislation is aimed at containing rising costs while ensuring transparency and continued quality of care, according to the Governor’s office (Boston).

The law includes several targeted measures designed to improve aspects of the healthcare system that impact care quality and costs, including:

• The development of quality improvement and cost containment goals and performance benchmarks;
• The promotion of electronic health records systems;
• The implementation of measures to increase the availability and accessibility of primary care and to improve the quality of chronic care;
• The dissemination of health care quality and cost data to consumers, providers and insurers.