MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Representative Mike Honda (D-Calif.) introduced a bill on the House floor designed to give a boost to health information technology, including wireless health programs.
The so-called Healthcare Innovation & Marketplace Technologies Act calls for the FDA to manage a developer support program to bolster HIPAA programs, a prize-based "innovator challenge" and a loan program to help small clinics adopt health information technology systems, MobiHealthNews reported.
"As we continue to improve our health care system, technology can and should play a prominent role in achieving better care for Americans," Rep. Honda told the news outlet. "Why have the principles of Silicon Valley, which I represent – competition, innovation, and entrepreneurship – not fully manifested themselves in the healthcare information technology space? This bill gets us closer to that space."
The bill also seeks to create a dedicated Office of Wireless Health, which would be tasked with developing a "consistent, reasonable, and predictable regulatory framework" for regulatory oversight of digital medical technologies.
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