Dive Brief:
- A new bill has been filed in Congress is designed to promote the integration of wireless, mobile and digital technologies into federal healthcare.
- The bill, the Health Savings Through Technology Act (H.R. 3577), by Rep. Scott Peters, (R-Calif) would set up a commission to examine data on how new technologies can save money and healthcare; the commission would then make recommendations for integrating digital health into Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs.
- Rep. Peters has also introduced another bill that would allow the Military Health System's Tricare system and VA to pay for more telehealth services.
Dive Insight:
While the bill seeks broad-based savings, a Peters spokesman told MobiHealthNews that innovative wireless technologies topped their list of tools which they see as capable of saving the healthcare system money and eventually bending the cost curve. That's no surprise, given the rate at which healthcare wireless applications and devices are evolving. I for one don't expect to see much come out of the commission, which will move at a glacial pace compared to the industry it will be researching, but it's good to see a member of Congress acknowledging the importance of wireless medical innovation. If nothing else, it moves Congress just a bit further in the right direction.