MedPol: Bush supports information techonology (after he didn't support it)

Thank God we're back on track.

[Bush] declared that modernizing America's health care system with information technology was a priority. Taking patient records and prescriptions into the computer age from an era of paper and ink, health specialists agree, would make health care more efficient and reduce medical errors, saving lives and dollars.

Congress deleted the $50 million for Dr. Brailer's office in November in the omnibus appropriations bill, one of many cuts to try to contain the federal deficit. The move was criticized as a sign that the administration's support for health information technology was mostly a matter of words. Newt Gingrich, the Republican from Georgia who is the former House speaker, called the loss of financing support "a disgrace," given the administration's previous statements.