I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1873 

To provide outreach and reporting on comprehensive Alzheimer’s disease 

care planning services furnished under the Medicare program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 26, 2019 

Mr. TONKO (for himself, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. GUTHRIE, 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, and Ms. WATERS) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in 

addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide outreach and reporting on comprehensive Alzheimer’s disease care planning services furnished under 

the Medicare program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving HOPE for 

5 Alzheimer’s’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES 

2 PROVIDER OUTREACH AND REPORTING ON 

3 COMPREHENSIVE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE 

4 CARE PLANNING SERVICES. 

5 (a) OUTREACH.—The Secretary of Health and 

6 Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec7 retary’’) shall conduct outreach to physicians and appro8 priate non-physician practitioners participating under the 

9 Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security 

10 Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) with respect to comprehen11 sive care planning services furnished to individuals with 

12 Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (in this section 

13 referred to as ‘‘comprehensive Alzheimer’s disease care 

14 planning services’’). Such outreach shall include a com15 prehensive, one-time education initiative to inform such 

16 physicians and practitioners of the addition of such serv17 ices as a covered benefit under the Medicare program, in18 cluding materials on appropriate diagnostic evaluations 

19 and explanations of the requirements for eligibility for 

20 such services. 

21 (b) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 

22 (1) PROVIDER OUTREACH.—Not later than one 

23 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

24 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Ways 

25 and Means and the Committee on Energy and Com26 merce of the House of Representatives and the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:18 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1873.IH H1873

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1 mittee on Finance of the Senate a report on the out2 reach conducted under subsection (a). Such report 

3 shall include a description of the methods used for 

4 such outreach. 

5 (2) UTILIZATION RATES.—Not later than 18 

6 months after such date of enactment and annually 

7 thereafter for the succeeding five years, the Sec8 retary shall submit to the Committee on Ways and 

9 Means and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

10 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

11 on Finance of the Senate a report on the number of 

12 Medicare beneficiaries who, during the preceding 

13 year, were furnished comprehensive Alzheimer’s dis14 ease care planning services for which payment was 

15 made under title XVIII of the Social Security Act 

16 (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.). Each such report shall in17 clude information on any barriers Medicare bene18 ficiaries face to access such services and the rec19 ommendations of the Secretary to eliminate any 

20 such barriers. 

21 (3) COPY OF EACH REPORT.—On the same day 

22 that a report is submitted under paragraph (1) or 

23 (2), the Secretary shall transmit a copy of such re24 port to the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Re25 search, Care, and Services established under section 


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1 2(e) of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (42 

2 U.S.C. 11225(e); Public Law 111–375). 

Æ 


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