The U.S. Congress has an inadequate understanding of the cost savings that healthcare information technology can provide, said a Pennsylvania Congressman at HIMSS09 Sunday.

Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) participated in the opening session of the special Economic Stimulus Education Program offered at the HIMSS Annual Conference this year. Murphy and Massachusetts state senator Richard Moore (D) answered questions from Dave Roberts, HIMSS vice president of government relations, and audience members about the goals of economic stimulus for healthcare IT.

"Unfortunately, Congress and the Congressional Budget Office are not that good at determining value," Murphy said.

The Congressman and Moore agreed that healthcare IT should be a nonpartisan issue, as it improves quality of care and reduces cost.

"There is no doubt that it was right to include healthcare IT in the stimulus bill," Moore said. "Since it is included, we should require that IT be interoperable and meet some standards and best practices. We can't just throw money at IT. We have to look more closely at the best ways that healthcare IT can provide value."

There are many competing priorities on Capitol Hill, Murphy said, but he noted that healthcare was one of the areas where real reform could occur.

"We have an antiquated Medicaid system that hasn't been redesigned since the Johnson administration," he said. "And we waste $50 billion on hospital-acquired infections."

Moore concurred that there is much waste to be eliminated in healthcare, and said that legislators must spend healthcare dollars on IT programs that can truly improve care, such as e-prescribing.

"In Massachusetts, we have 14 percent of our physicians e-prescribing," Moore said. "That is tops in the country, but in my opinion 14 percent is not something to be proud of."