Minnesota House Committee Accepts Amendment on Electronic Health Records State Mandate

ST. PAUL, Minn.—In a positive step toward freeing small private practice doctors from intrusive state regulations, a Minnesota State House of Representatives committee today accepted an amendment to the state’s Electronic Health Records (EHR) mandate. The amendment was written by Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF, http://www.cchfreedom.org), a Minnesota-based national organization dedicated to preserving patient-centered health care and protecting patient and privacy rights.

CCHF released the following statement today after the House session:

“We’re pleased that the EHR exemption language was added to Rep. Tara Mack’s bill in this morning’s Civil Law and Data Practices Committee,” said CCHF President and Co-Founder Twila Brase. “We thank Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen for offering the amendment.

“The language exempts practices of up to seven health care providers from Minnesota’s mandate that every provider use an electronic health record (EHR) and have it hooked up to the grid. Many small practices cannot afford the cost of the EHR system, and many practices do not want to make their patient’s data accessible online.

“This language would allow smaller practices to thrive in smaller communities; it would allow smaller practices to open—and to keep their doors open rather than being forced to join a big practice; and it would allow smaller clinics to offer privacy to their patients. Patients would be able to look for practitioners that hold their medical data truly confidential and doctors that look them in the eye rather than turning their back on them and typing into a computer.

“Minnesota is the only state that does not allow health care providers to opt out of expensive, intrusive online-accessible EHRs. The federal HITECH Act mandates EHRs, but allows any provider to opt out. This amendment begins to give Minnesota the level of freedom and privacy available to doctors and patients in the rest of the nation.”

CCHF crafted the amendment to Minnesota Statute §62J.495, which calls for all health providers in the state to employ costly and intrusive EHR systems. CCHF’s amendment suggests exempting practices with fewer than seven health care providers.

The amendment moves to insert the following language: “Implementation: By January 1, 2015, all hospitals and health care providers must have in place an interoperable electronic health records system within their hospital system or clinical practice setting. The commissioner of health, in consultation with the e-Health advisory Committee, shall develop a statewide plan to meet this goal, including uniform standards to be used for the interoperable system for sharing and synchronizing patient data across systems. The standards must be compatible with federal efforts. The uniform standards must be developed by January 1, 2009, and updated on an ongoing basis. The commissioner shall include an update on standards development as part of an annual report to the legislature. A health care provider in private practice with no more than six additional health care providers is exempt from the requirements of this section (emphasis added).”

For more information about CCHF, visit its web site at http://www.cchfreedom.org, its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/cchfreedom or its Twitter feed, @CCHFreedom.

Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom is a patient-centered national health freedom organization based in St. Paul, Minn., that works to protect health care choices and patient privacy. CCHF sponsors the daily, 60-second radio feature, Health Freedom Minute, which airs on approximately 350 stations nationwide, including 200 on the American Family Radio Network and 100 on the Bott Radio Network. Listeners can learn more about the agenda behind health care initiatives and steps they can take to protect their health care choices, rights and privacy.

CCHF president and co-founder Twila Brase, R.N., has been called one of the “100 Most Powerful People in Health Care” and one of “Minnesota’s 100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders.” A public health nurse, Brase has been interviewed by CNN, Fox News, Minnesota Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, NBC’s Today Show, NPR, New York Public Radio, the Associated Press, Modern Healthcare, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Washington Times, among others. She is at the forefront of informing the public of crucial health issues, such as intrusive wellness and prevention initiatives in Obamacare, patient privacy, informed consent, the dangers of “evidence-based medicine” and the implications of state and federal health care reform.