Washington Watch for June 30, 2008

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Washington bureau
• Published: Jun 30, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Patients’ right to records
U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, introduced legislation last week that would allow patients to control their medical records.
Called the Patient-Controlled HealthIT Act, the bill would give patients the right to receive their personal medical information in electronic form from providers who maintain the information, Boustany said.

“In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, millions of health-care records were destroyed,” Boustany said in a statement. “One way to lower costs and improve quality is to adopt personal electronic records to help doctors and other health-care providers limit duplication and errors.

“We should go further to put the patient in control,” said Boustany, a former cardiothoracic surgeon.

Saints’ Brees gets honor
U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., recently presented New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees with the Horizon Award, a special recognition for people who have contributed to the welfare of young Americans.

Brees was honored for his “incredible leadership and off-the-field service” at the congressional award reception in Washington.

“In my humble opinion, few players have had a more immediate impact on both a sports franchise and a city than Drew has,” Vitter said in a statement. “In his short time in New Orleans, he has been an important face for the Saints franchise and an ambassador for the city.”

The checks are in the mail
The Committee for the Preservation of Capitalism Political Action Committee handed out $2,500 and $5,000 checks to Republican House members who are in vulnerable or competitive races.

The PAC, one of the most active in Congress, is run by U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, R-Shreveport. McCrery will not seek re-election in November. The committee will be taken over by Boustany.

The committee contributed more than $832,000 to candidates in the last election cycle.

Boustany focuses on food
Boustany last week was named the ranking Republican on the subcommittee on department operations, oversight, nutrition and forestry on the House Agriculture Committee.

“Ensuring the nation’s food safety is critically important for families across the country,” Boustany said in a statement. “I will press for accurate answers to make the Department of Agriculture as efficient as possible.”

Seeking disaster treatment
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., last week introduced a bill to allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide substance abuse and mental health-care treatment for U.S. disaster victims, including survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The amendment to the Stafford Act, which guides disaster recovery, could aid in the critical arena of available psychiatric beds. Prior to Katrina, 555 beds existed in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. Today, the number is down to 333, Landrieu said.