Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to make grants to eligible entities for the development and operation of demonstration programs to provide patient navigator services to improve health care outcomes. Requires the Secretary to coordinate with, and ensure the participation of, the Indian Health Service, the National Cancer Institute, and the Office of Rural Health Policy.
Requires that each grantee agree to recruit, assign, train, and employ patient navigators who have direct knowledge of the communities they serve to facilitate the care of individuals, including by: (1) acting as contacts for individuals seeking prevention or early detection services for cancer or other chronic diseases; (2) facilitating the involvement of community organizations to provide better access to high-quality health care services to individuals at risk for, or who have, cancer or other chronic diseases; (3) coordinating with the relevant health insurance ombudsman programs to provide information to such individuals about health coverage; (4) notifying individuals of clinical trials; (5) helping patients overcome barriers within the health care system to ensure prompt diagnostic and treatment resolution of an abnormal finding of cancer or other chronic disease; and (6) conducting ongoing outreach to health disparity populations.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) require each grant recipient to prohibit patient navigators from accepting anything of value in return for referring an individual to a particular health care provider; and (2) prohibit the use of any grant funds to pay any fees or costs resulting from any proceeding to resolve a legal dispute. Allows the Secretary to grant awards for a period of no more than three years, with a one-year extension.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) direct that each grant application outline how the eligible entity will establish baseline measures and benchmarks that meet the Secretary's requirements to evaluate program outcomes; (2) establish uniform baseline measures to properly evaluate the impact of the demonstration projects; (3) give preference to those entities that demonstrate plans to utilize patient navigator services to overcome significant barriers to improve health care outcomes within their respective communities; and (4) ensure coordination of the grant programs under this Act with existing authorized programs to facilitate access to high-quality health care services.
Requires the Secretary to study the program and report to Congress on the results, including an evaluation of program outcomes and recommendations as to whether such programs could be used to improve patient outcomes in other public health areas.
Sets forth reporting requirements.
Authorizes appropriations.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 898 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 898
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a demonstration
grant program to provide patient navigator services to reduce barriers
and improve health care outcomes, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 25, 2005
Mrs. Hutchison (for herself, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Kennedy,
and Mr. Cochran) introduced the following bill; which was read twice
and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a demonstration
grant program to provide patient navigator services to reduce barriers
and improve health care outcomes, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Patient Navigator Outreach and
Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005''.
SEC. 2. PATIENT NAVIGATOR GRANTS.
Subpart V of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 256) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 340A. PATIENT NAVIGATOR GRANTS.
``(a) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of
the Health Resources and Services Administration, may make grants to
eligible entities for the development and operation of demonstration
programs to provide patient navigator services to improve health care
outcomes. The Secretary shall coordinate with, and ensure the
participation of, the Indian Health Service, the National Cancer
Institute, the Office of Rural Health Policy, and such other offices
and agencies as deemed appropriate by the Secretary, regarding the
design and evaluation of the demonstration programs.
``(b) Use of Funds.--The Secretary shall require each recipient of
a grant under this section to use the grant to recruit, assign, train,
and employ patient navigators who have direct knowledge of the
communities they serve to facilitate the care of individuals, including
by performing each of the following duties:
``(1) Acting as contacts, including by assisting in the
coordination of health care services and provider referrals,
for individuals who are seeking prevention or early detection
services for, or who following a screening or early detection
service are found to have a symptom, abnormal finding, or
diagnosis of, cancer or other chronic disease.
``(2) Facilitating the involvement of community
organizations in assisting individuals who are at risk for or
who have cancer or other chronic diseases to receive better
access to high-quality health care services (such as by
creating partnerships with patient advocacy groups, charities,
health care centers, community hospice centers, other health
care providers, or other organizations in the targeted
community).
``(3) Notifying individuals of clinical trials and, on
request, facilitating enrollment of eligible individuals in
these trials.
``(4) Anticipating, identifying, and helping patients to
overcome barriers within the health care system to ensure
prompt diagnostic and treatment resolution of an abnormal
finding of cancer or other chronic disease.
``(5) Coordinating with the relevant health insurance
ombudsman programs to provide information to individuals who
are at risk for or who have cancer or other chronic diseases
about health coverage, including private insurance, health care
savings accounts, and other publicly funded programs (such as
Medicare, Medicaid, health programs operated by the Department
of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense, the State
children's health insurance program, and any private or
governmental prescription assistance programs).
``(6) Conducting ongoing outreach to health disparity
populations, including the uninsured, rural populations, and
other medically underserved populations, in addition to
assisting other individuals who are at risk for or who have
cancer or other chronic diseases to seek preventative care.
``(c) Prohibitions.--
``(1) Referral fees.--The Secretary shall require each
recipient of a grant under this section to prohibit any patient
navigator providing services under the grant from accepting any
referral fee, kickback, or other thing of value in return for
referring an individual to a particular health care provider.
``(2) Legal fees and costs.--The Secretary shall prohibit
the use of any grant funds received under this section to pay
any fees or costs resulting from any litigation, arbitration,
mediation, or other proceeding to resolve a legal dispute.
``(d) Grant Period.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the
Secretary may award grants under this section for periods of
not more than 3 years.
``(2) Extensions.--Subject to paragraph (3), the Secretary
may extend the period of a grant under this section. Each such
extension shall be for a period of not more than 1 year.
``(3) Limitations on grant period.--In carrying out this
section, the Secretary--
``(A) shall ensure that the total period of a grant
does not exceed 4 years; and
``(B) may not authorize any grant period ending
after September 30, 2010.
``(e) Application.--
``(1) In general.--To seek a grant under this section, an
eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary in
such form, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretary may require.
``(2) Contents.--At a minimum, the Secretary shall require
each such application to outline how the eligible entity will
establish baseline measures and benchmarks that meet the
Secretary's requirements to evaluate program outcomes.
``(f) Uniform Baseline Measures.--The Secretary shall establish
uniform baseline measures in order to properly evaluate the impact of
the demonstration projects under this section.
``(g) Preference.--In making grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give preference to eligible entities that demonstrate
in their applications plans to utilize patient navigator services to
overcome significant barriers in order to improve health care outcomes
in their respective communities.
``(h) Duplication of Services.--An eligible entity that is
receiving Federal funds for activities described in subsection (b) on
the date on which the entity submits an application under subsection
(e), may not receive a grant under this section unless the entity can
demonstrate that amounts received under the grant will be utilized to
expand services or provide new services to individuals who would not
otherwise be served.
``(i) Coordination With Other Programs.--The Secretary shall ensure
coordination of the demonstration grant program under this section with
existing authorized programs in order to facilitate access to high-
quality health care services.
``(j) Study; Reports.--
``(1) Final report by secretary.--Not later than 6 months
after the completion of the demonstration grant program under
this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study of the
results of the program and submit to the Congress a report on
such results that includes the following:
``(A) An evaluation of the program outcomes,
including--
``(i) quantitative analysis of baseline and
benchmark measures; and
``(ii) aggregate information about the
patients served and program activities.
``(B) Recommendations on whether patient navigator
programs could be used to improve patient outcomes in
other public health areas.
``(2) Reports by secretary.--The Secretary may provide
interim reports to the Congress on the demonstration grant
program under this section at such intervals as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate.
``(3) Interim reports by grantees.--The Secretary may
require grant recipients under this section to submit interim
and final reports on grant program outcomes.
``(k) Rule of Construction.--This section shall not be construed to
authorize funding for the delivery of health care services (other than
the patient navigator duties listed in subsection (b)).
``(l) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `eligible entity' means a public or
nonprofit private health center (including a Federally
qualified health center (as that term is defined in section
1861(aa)(4) of the Social Security Act)), a health facility
operated by or pursuant to a contract with the Indian Health
Service, a hospital, a cancer center, a rural health clinic, an
academic health center, or a nonprofit entity that enters into
a partnership or coordinates referrals with such a center,
clinic, facility, or hospital to provide patient navigator
services.
``(2) The term `health disparity population' means a
population that, as determined by the Secretary, has a
significant disparity in the overall rate of disease incidence,
prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rates as compared
to the health status of the general population.
``(3) The term `patient navigator' means an individual who
has completed a training program approved by the Secretary to
perform the duties listed in subsection (b).
``(m) Authorization of Appropriations.--
``(1) In general.--To carry out this section, there are
authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2006,
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, $8,000,000 for fiscal year
2008, $6,500,000 for fiscal year 2009, and $3,500,000 for
fiscal year 2010.
``(2) Availability.--The amounts appropriated pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall remain available for obligation through the
end of fiscal year 2010.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4191-4192)
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Enzi with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-73.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Enzi with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-73.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 115.
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