Rhode Island General Laws Title 23. Health and Safety § 23-77-1. Legislative findings and purpose

Research shows that the application of information technology such as electronic medical records, computer-based physician order entry and electronic data interchange, has significant potential for improving healthcare quality and safety and obtaining efficiencies in the healthcare delivery system. The healthcare system has been slower than other sectors of the economy to use advances in information technology to achieve improvements in efficiencies and quality. Hospitals and healthcare providers face barriers in accessing the capital needed to make investments in information technology. Government, which pays for about one-third (1/3) of the nation's healthcare cost, has a substantial interest in obtaining cost efficiencies by promoting investment in healthcare information technology and infrastructure. There is a need for coordination and collaboration among healthcare payers, providers, consumers and government in designing and implementing a statewide interoperable healthcare information infrastructure that includes standards for administrative data exchange, clinical support programs, quality performance measures and the maintenance of the security and confidentiality of individual patient data. It is the intent of the legislature to promote the implementation of healthcare information technology and the development of an interoperable statewide healthcare information infrastructure by creating a special fund to be used to supplement any funds which would otherwise be available for these purposes.