Health Professions and Services Amendments of 1984

(Measure passed House, amended)

Health Professions and Services Amendments of 1984 - Title I: Programs Under Title VII of the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY 1986 for the Federal health education assistance loan insurance program.

Permits amounts from the student loan fund to be used for any public or other nonprofit school which is located in a State and which offers graduate programs in clinical psychology.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for health professions student loans.

Requires deferral of student loan repayments by persons who leave school to engage for up to two years in an activity directly related to the health profession for which the person is preparing.

Requires that beginning in FY 1984 any agreement entered into with a school for the operation of a student loan fund provide that at least one-half of the Federal contribution in a fiscal year to the school's student loan fund be used to make loans to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Replaces the existing requirement for capitation grants of enrollment increases with a requirement that total instruction hours at least equal those in the school year beginning in FY 1984.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for scholarships for students of exceptional financial need and for departments of family medicine.

Requires, in making grants to schools with departments of family medicine, that priority be given to an applicant which demonstrates a commitment to making its family medicine program a permanent component of its medical education training program.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for area health education centers. Authorizes direct funding for such centers. Requires (presently authorizes) a ten percent set-aside for existing centers.

Permits grants to be made to public and nonprofit private schools of public health for projects to develop new programs or expand existing programs in human nutrition, geriatrics, health promotion and disease prevention, alcoholism, and injury due to accidents.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for such grants.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for grants for: (1) physician assistant programs; and (2) general internal medicine and general pediatric programs.

Requires, in making such grants, that priority be given to an applicant which demonstrates a commitment to making its general internal medicine and general pediatrics programs permanent components of its medical education training program.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for grants for family medicine and the general practice of dentistry.

Requires at least seven percent of the amount appropriated for such grants in any fiscal year to be obligated.

Requires priority to be given in making such grants to an applicant which demonstrates a commitment to making its family medicine program a permanent component of its medical education training program.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for health education assistance to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Permits such funds to be used for public and nonprofit private schools which offer graduate programs in clinical psychology.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for grants to health professions schools for conversion and curriculum grants. Permits such grants to be used to maintain and improve schools which provide the first or last two years of education leading to the degree of doctor of medicine or osteopathy. Permits existing schools to use such grants for construction and equipment purchases.

Permits curriculum development grants to allied health profession schools or institutions.

Authorizes FY 1985 and 1986 appropriations for grants and contracts to improve the training of health professionals in geriatrics.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1986 for grants for: (1) advanced financial distress assistance; (2) graduate programs in health administration; (3) traineeships for students in other graduate programs; (4) public health traineeships; and (5) training in preventive medicine.

Changes the composition of the National Advisory Council on Health Professions Education to require that at least one member be a representative of schools of public health.

Includes chiropractic schools in the health professions student loan program. Authorizes such schools to apply for disadvantaged student grants and contracts.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to veterinary medicine schools for curriculum development and training in the case of research animals and alternatives to the use of animals in research.

Prohibits the use of funds under the Health Professional Service Act to provide financial aid to students in violation of the draft registration laws. Requires the Secretary: (1) in cooperation with the Director of Selective Service to conduct a study to determine if health professions schools are engaged in a pattern of noncompliance with specified requirements of the Military Selective Service Act, or are providing financial assistance to unregistered students; and (2) report to the Congress within one year.

Eliminates semiannual interest compounding of health professions student loans.

Directs the Secretary to study the delivery of inpatient and outpatient health care services to the homeless.

Title II: Programs under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY 1987 for grants and contracts for special projects and for advanced nurse training programs. Permits such grants to be used for programs which lead to masters and doctoral degrees and which prepare nurses to serve as nurse educators, administrators, and researchers, or in clinical nurse specialties which require advanced training. Provides for educational grants for nurse midwives.

Permits grants to be made to public and nonprofit private entities for projects to demonstrate: (1) improvements in clinical nursing care in institutions; (2) improvements in clinical nursing care in homes, independent nursing practice arrangements, and ambulatory facilities; and (3) programs to encourage nurses to practice in health manpower shortage areas. Authorizes appropriations through FY 1987 for such grants.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1987 for grants to cover costs of traineeships for training of nurse anesthetists.

Permits the use of grant funds for traineeships for nurses in masters degree and doctoral degree programs.

Title III: National Health Service Corps Program - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY 1988 for the National Health Service Corps program.

Requires action to be taken to assure that the conditions of any written agreement concerning National Health Service Corps scholarships are adhered to.

Prohibits the removal of an area from the areas determined to be health manpower shortage areas unless it is also determined that such an area does not have a population group which has such a shortage or a facility which has such a shortage.

Title IV: Health Maintenance Organizations and Migrant and Community Health Centers - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize appropriations through FY 1988 for grants and contracts for feasibility surveys and loan guarantees for planning and for initial development costs.

Authorizes appropriations through FY 1988 for health maintenance organizations and migrant and community health centers. Permits such funds to be used for repaying loans made by the Farmer's Home Loan Administration for buildings.

Limits the amount of grant funds available to community health centers to enable the centers to plan and develop the provision of health services on a prepaid basis to not more than five percent of the funds appropriated to community health centers.

States that no health maintenance organization may be required to provide organ transplants, other than kidney transplants, as part of its basic health services for contracts before the contract year beginning after January 1, 1986, in order to receive title XIII funds under such Act.

Title V: Health Care Consumer Information - Requires the Secretary to: (1) study criteria and methodologies for collecting and disseminating health care consumer information; (2) prepare a plan for furnishing to the public technical assistance in the use of such criteria and methodologies; and (3) complete such study and report to Congress within nine months.

Title VI: Plague - Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, to make grants to States for plague control. Authorizes FY 1985 through 1987 appropriations.

Title VII: Health Care Costs - Expresses the sense of Congress that the problem of rising health care costs can be reduced if those engaged in health care professions do everything possible to hold down costs by considering appropriate options to institutionalized health services.