Legislation calls for new Office of Wireless Health

The Healthcare Innovation and Marketplace Technologies Act, reintroduced by Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) on June 13, calls for the establishment of an Office of Wireless Health in the FDA. The bill was first introduced last December but did not progress beyond the committee level.

The new FDA office would develop a regulatory framework on wireless health issues, according to a June 13 announcement of the bill. Further, it would establish a mHealth support program to help mobile health app developers comply with current privacy standards and launch a grant program for health IT innovators. A low-interest small business loan program for healthcare providers purchasing new services and a health IT employee training two-year grant program also are part of the bill.

"This legislation seeks not only to improve healthcare delivery, but to ensure that our government agencies have the tools they need to encourage innovation. With implementation of the Affordable Care Art just around the corner, this is a major step forward for both patients and providers," Honda said in a press statement.

Industry members concurrently released statements in support of the bill.

“Congressman Honda is taking a comprehensive view of the value of health IT and how the many different solutions ranging from telehealth to physician tablets to portable EKG’s are  giving clinicians, patients and caregivers new tools to impact our health at reduced costs,” Alice Borrelli, director, global healthcare policy at Intel, said.

Robert Jarrin, senior director, government affairs at Qualcomm, also lauded the bill. He said innovators, app developers and other entrepreneurs would benefit from a centralized wireless health office. “Such an office could also serve to profile external facing resources that could lend expertise and guidance on medical device regulations and policies as they relate to wireless health,” he said.