HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3063        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2002

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Jeffrey N. Roy

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act advancing innovations in digital health technology to improve patient outcomes and the quality of health care delivered in the commonwealth.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3063        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2002

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act advancing innovations in digital health technology to improve patient outcomes and the quality of health care delivered in the commonwealth.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Subsection (a) of section 6D of chapter 40J of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the third sentence the following sentence:- The institute shall partner with the health care and technology community to accelerate the creation and adoption of digital health to drive economic growth and improve health care outcomes and efficiency.

SECTION 2. Said section 6D of said chapter 40J, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 16 to 18, inclusive, the words “and (3) develop a plan to complete the implementation of electronic health records systems by all providers in the commonwealth” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- (3) develop a plan to complete the implementation of electronic health records systems by all providers in the commonwealth; and (4) advance the commonwealth’s economic competitiveness by supporting the digital health industry, including the digital health industry’s role in improving the quality of health care delivery and patient outcomes.

SECTION 3. Said section 6D of said chapter 40J, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out subsection (f) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(f) The institute shall identify companies and organizations that are engaged in the development of emerging new technologies associated with health information technology, including, (i) web-based and personalized care delivery or (ii) the incorporation of data on social determinants of health into digital health technology, which may include integrating individual-level determinants, community-level determinants, or both, into diverse workflows. The institute shall promote the growth and development of such companies and organizations by supporting the formation of regional health information technology clusters, coordinating the promotion and dissemination of information regarding such companies and organizations, identifying and addressing obstacles to the growth of such companies and organizations and helping to identify alternative funding sources for such companies and organizations for the implementation of their business and marketing plans.

SECTION 4. Said section 6D of said chapter 40J, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following subsection:-

(h) Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, if a significant portion of health care providers, as determined by the institute’s director, implement and use interoperable electronic health records systems, the institute shall prioritize achieving the goal of improving the commonwealth’s economic competitiveness in digital health through implementation of subsections (f) and (g).