HOUSTON, Minn. - High-quality health care is happening in rural Houston, said U.S. Rep. Tim Walz.
The Democratic congressman toured the Gundersen Lutheran clinic here and viewed its electronic records system Monday. He praised the clinic and the Gundersen system for being a model for quality health care in the country.
All 20 Gundersen clinics in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin and the two campuses in Onalaska and La Crosse, Wis., have lowered costs by electronically transferring medical records, X-rays and lab results between clinics in the system, said Brian Gilberts of Gundersen's media relations.
Gundersen Lutheran CEO Jeff Thompson said he would like to see more electronic connectivity between different hospital systems and hospitals and homes.
A bill that Walz authored, currently in a House of Representatives committee, would create more electronic connectivity between homes and hospitals. The Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act of 2009 would establish pilot projects under the Medicare Program to provide incentives for home health agencies to use home monitoring and communication technologies.
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