As hospitals grapple with the expense and logistics of implementing an EHR, several congressmen are considering levying sanctions against EHR vendors to force interoperability.
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), MD, who leads the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is drafting a bill to enforce data sharing among EHR systems, according to Politico. He and several other representatives have said practices are unfairly forced to pay high prices for software that does not fulfill new requirements.
Intervening in the market would force EHR vendors to share information with one another, alleviating some of the cost on providers. The representatives are hesitant to intervene but recognize the need, according to the report. The committee will hear from HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Feb. 26 regarding the status of the HIEs.
"This should be resolved in the marketplace," Rep. Burgess told Politico. "[But if not,] what would legislation look like? We're examining that question very closely."