Senate panel approves health IT bill with security rating program

The Senate health committee has approved legislation to promote the interoperability of electronic health records that includes provisions to establish a voluntary “certification” program to demonstrate compliance with security and transparency requirements.

The Improving Health IT Act is the latest in a growing list of federal policy initiatives to improve the data security of healthcare providers.

The legislation, approved unanimously on Tuesday by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, requires the national coordinator for health IT at...