Just in time for the humid Washington summer, the momentum in the House to pass healthcare IT legislation is heating up – or maybe not.

One bill, which was expected to be up for a House vote during what had been dubbed “Health IT Week,” June 19-23, stalled in its tracks as House Republicans expressed concern that it might increase expenditures.

Several healthcare IT organizations spent much of the last month pushing for the House to pass its version of a healthcare IT bill. The Senate passed healthcare IT legislation (S. 1418) late last year. If a bill passes in the House and is reconciled with the Senate version, the first-ever legislation specifically aimed at healthcare IT could pass Congress, an important milestone for a relatively nascent industry within healthcare.

At press time, there were two spaces to watch. One is the stalled bill out of the House Ways and Means Committee, sponsored by Reps. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) and Nathan Deal (R-Ga.). The bill would provide exemptions to laws that currently prevent hospitals and other groups from sharing technology with physicians.

It also would codify the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. A controversial provision to update the medical coding system from ICD-9 to ICD-10 codes by 2009, was cut. In addition, H.R. 4157 calls on HHS to examine variations in state privacy laws and security practices. The bill passed the House Ways and Means Health subcommittee in late May on an 8 to 5 party-line vote. House Democrats on the subcommittee all opposed the bill, saying it did not set a date for standards adoption, adequately fund providers’ healthcare IT purchases or go far enough to protect patient privacy.

Sources close to the deal said some members of Congress were pushing for a bill to reach the full House before the July 4th congressional recess. But that remains to be seen after the Johnson bill unexpectedly stalled.

Bi-partisan healthcare IT?

The real question is whether leaders on both sides of the aisle can come to agreement over a healthcare IT bill. The Senate bill had bi-partisan support, with the likes of political odd fellows Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Bill First (R-Tenn.) backing the bill. The House has enjoyed less across-the-aisle handholding. At least 120 House Democrats sent a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert in late May that called for passage of a stronger healthcare IT bill.

Meanwhile, interest in healthcare IT continues to grow in the House. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said he plans to introduce a bill that would provide $150 million over three years to regional networks that would link first responders to hospitals, doctors offices and public health agencies. Conrad said he is seeking a Republican member of Congress to co-sponsor the bill.

Rep. Cathy McMorris (R-Wash.) said she and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) planned to introduce a bill that would call for a Medicaid demonstration project to use healthcare IT to help those with chronic diseases better manage their illnesses. McMorris said she did not know when the bill would be introduced.

In the Senate, Oregon Senator David Wu (D) plans to introduce legislation to provide funding to help train healthcare IT workers. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) announced his plans to introduce the Independent Health Record Bank Act of 2006.  The bill would create independent health record banks to store electronic health records. Patients would own the data and could opt to sell it for research purposes.