The House (H-7866) and Senate (S-2898) bills update the Rhode Island Health Information Exchange Act of 2008.
A request to approve the legislation now goes before Gov. Gina Raimondo.
The Health Information Exchange, known as CurrentCare, creates a centralized electronic health record for enrolled patients that will allow health-care providers who are authorized by their patients to access up-to-date information from across all of their medical records. The legislation also allows other authorized individuals, such as family members or care givers, to access the patients’ medical information through CurrentCare.
“Medical decisions are too often being made without the patient’s complete medical history,’’ Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, the Senate bill’s sponsor, said in a statement. “Timing is critical and this legislation makes sure patients receive the care they need as fast as possible. The bill will allow patients, such as the elderly, to designate and authorize a family member to have access to their confidential health information, or to receive notice of hospital admissions or other medical emergencies.”
Rep. David A. Coughlin, D-Pawtucket, the House bill’s sponsor, said: “Updates are needed in this legislation because the way health care is being delivered and paid for is changing and we need to utilize emerging technologies in order to deliver the best possible health care to our state’s resident….”
The House vote was 34:3, with one member note voting. The Senate vote was 72:0 with 2 members not voting.
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