WASHINGTON – Funding for the healthcare IT activities fell short of the White House’s budget request in a recent House Appropriations Committee bill. However, the appropriation is an increase over fiscal year 2006 HIT funding.

The White House has requested $169 million for healthcare IT funding,  $116 million of which was allocated for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The House Appropriations Committee in late June allocated $98 million for ONCHIT, about $17 million less than the White House request. However, the amount is almost $37 million more than the fiscal year 2006 allocation of $61.3 million.

The bill provides $50 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for healthcare IT activities.

In June, a number of healthcare organizations and businesses called on Congress to provide full funding for healthcare IT activities.

“We strongly urge you, at a minimum, to fully fund the President’s Budget request for healthcare information technology.  We must advance the work of creating an interoperable healthcare system that improves the quality of care while enabling a more efficient and effective healthcare system,” the letter stated.

Don Asmonga, government relations manager of the American Health Information Management Association, called the funding a good start.

“It’s going to give ONCHIT more leeway to do things that they want. It beats zero and beats what they had last year,” he said.

The bill still needs to pass in the House. It could be several months before Congress approves any final piece of appropriations legislation.