GOP Rep. Ellmers asks administration for plan on health IT safety

A House Republican asked the Obama administration's chief health official for her plan to avoid medical errors associated with the expansion of information technology in healthcare.

Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) asked Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for a copy of the department's plan to "minimize patient safety risks" associated with health IT.

"I share your commitment to our nation's healthcare system," Ellmers, a nurse, wrote in a letter Tuesday.

"Because health IT has the promise to improve healthcare delivery for patients ... I remain eager to work with you to ensure that health IT is safe, effective and affordable."

Ellmers is chairwoman of the House Small Business subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology.

The federal Institute of Medicine called for greater public and private oversight of health IT in a report released in November 2011. It added that the Food and Drug Administration should regulate the technology if HHS decides that step is necessary.

Ellmers also asked Sebelius for a list of all medical errors associated with health IT, including deaths, that have been reported to HHS, among other materials.