,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #acji  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #ba1 #bjac    
,mr4 ,price of ,georgia 7for himself and
 ,mr4 ,kind7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and
 in addition to the ,committee on ,ways 
and ,means1 for a period to be          
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend titles ,,xviii and 
,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act to  
exclude pathologists from incentive     
payments and penalties under ,medicare  
and ,medicaid relating to the meaningful
 use of electronic health records4  #a4 
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,health ,information ,technology    
,reform ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress  
finds the following3  7#a7 ,under the   
,american ,recovery and ,reinvestment   
,act of #bjji1 physicians are eligible  

to receive ,federal funding to promote  
the adoption of electronic health       
records if meaningful use standards are 
met4  7#b7 ,beginning in #bjae1 certain 
physicians who do not meet such         
meaningful use standards face penalties 
in the form of reductions in ,medicare  
payments4  7#c7 ,pathologists and their 
laboratories have been on the front     
lines of electronic health information1 
utilizing computerized ,laboratory      
,information ,systems and ,anatomic     
,pathology ,information ,systems to     
support the work of analyzing patient   
specimens and generating test results4  
,these laboratory information systems   
exchange laboratory and pathology data  
with electronic health records and      
enterprise-wide clinical information    
systems4  7#d7 ,current regulations     
implementing electronic health record   
meaningful use standards largely reflect
 physician office-based practices and   
thus1 are not applicable to the practice
 of pathology and laboratory medicine4  

,furthermore1 since pathologists use    
,laboratory ,information ,systems and   
,anatomic ,pathology ,information       
,systems1 maintenance of certain patient
 health information in a certified      
electronic health record is not         
applicable4  7#e7 ,this lack of         
alignment between regulation and        
pathology practice makes it nearly      
impossible for pathologists to satisfy  
meaningful use standards1 putting them  
at risk for payment penalties under     
,medicare4  7#f7 ,through their role in 
appropriate test selection and          
personalized medicine1 and with access  
to the patient's electronic health      
record1 pathologists can play a key role
 in furthering ,congress' goals of      
reducing costs and improving health care
 quality4  7#g7 ,however1 imposing      
payment penalties on pathologists for   
failing to meet electronic health record
 meaningful use standards that do not   
apply to their practice and typical     
interaction with patients1 will not help

 advance quality care and               
accountability4  #c4 ,excluding         
pathologists from ,medicare and         
,medicaid incentive payments and        
penalties relating to the meaningful use
 of electronic health records  7a7      
,medicare  7#a7 ,exclusion from         
penalties ,section                      
#ahdh7;a77#g77;,e77iii7 of the ,social  
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciew-#d7;a77#g77;,e77iii77 is amended 
by inserting 1 except such term does not
 include a pathologist1 as identified by
 enrollment under this title with a     
specialty code of #bb or #fi after      
section #ahfa7r74  7#b7 ,exclusion from 
incentive payments ,section             
#ahdh7o77#e77;,c7 of such ,act 7#db     
,u4,s4,c4 #aciew-#d7o77#e77;,c77 is     
amended by inserting 1 except such term 
does not include a pathologist1 as      
identified by enrollment under this     
title with a specialty code of #bb or   
#fi after section #ahfa7r74  7b7        
,medicaid ,section #aijc7t77#c77;,b77i7 

of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #acif;b7t77#c77;,b77i77 is    
amended by inserting other than a       
pathologist1 as identified by enrollment
 under title ,,xviii with a specialty   
code of #bb or #fi or by the applicable 
equivalent ,state identification number 
for pathology or independent laboratory 
after physician4