I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5066 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to evaluate, 

develop, and expand the use of technology-enabled collaborative learning 

and capacity building models to improve maternal health outcomes, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 27, 2023 

Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia (for herself, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, 

and Mrs. HINSON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants 

to evaluate, develop, and expand the use of technologyenabled collaborative learning and capacity building models to improve maternal health outcomes, and for other 

purposes. 

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 ‘‘Tech to Save Moms 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INTEGRATED TELEHEALTH MODELS IN MATERNITY 

2 CARE SERVICES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1115A(b)(2)(B) of the 

4 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1315a(b)(2)(B)) is amend5 ed by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(xxviii) Focusing on title XIX, pro7 viding for the adoption of and use of tele8 health tools that allow for screening, moni9 toring, and management of common health 

10 complications with respect to an individual 

11 receiving medical assistance during such 

12 individual’s pregnancy and for not more 

13 than a 1-year period beginning on the last 

14 day of the pregnancy.’’. 

15 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

16 subsection (a) shall take effect 1 year after the date of 

17 the enactment of this Act. 

18 SEC. 3. GRANTS TO EXPAND THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY-EN19 ABLED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AND CA20 PACITY MODELS FOR PREGNANT AND 

21 POSTPARTUM INDIVIDUALS. 

22 Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended 

23 by inserting after section 330P (42 U.S.C. 254c–22) the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 330Q. EXPANDING CAPACITY FOR MATERNAL 

2 HEALTH OUTCOMES. 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Beginning not later than 1 

4 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

5 shall award grants to eligible entities to evaluate, develop, 

6 and expand the use of technology-enabled collaborative 

7 learning and capacity building models and improve mater8 nal health outcomes— 

9 ‘‘(1) in health professional shortage areas; 

10 ‘‘(2) in areas with high rates of maternal mor11 tality and severe maternal morbidity; 

12 ‘‘(3) in rural and underserved areas; 

13 ‘‘(4) in areas with significant maternal health 

14 disparities; and 

15 ‘‘(5) for medically underserved populations and 

16 American Indians and Alaska Natives, including In17 dian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian 

18 organizations. 

19 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED USES.—Recipients of grants 

21 under this section shall use the grants to— 

22 ‘‘(A) train maternal health care providers, 

23 students, and other similar professionals 

24 through models that include— 

25 ‘‘(i) methods to increase safety and 

26 health care quality; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) implicit bias, racism, and dis2 crimination; 

3 ‘‘(iii) best practices in screening for 

4 and, as needed, evaluating and treating 

5 maternal mental health conditions and 

6 substance use disorders; 

7 ‘‘(iv) training on best practices in ma8 ternity care for pregnant and postpartum 

9 individuals during public health emer10 gencies; 

11 ‘‘(v) methods to screen for social de12 terminants of maternal health risks in the 

13 prenatal and postpartum; and 

14 ‘‘(vi) the use of remote patient moni15 toring tools for pregnancy-related com16 plications described in section 

17 1115A(b)(2)(B)(xxviii); 

18 ‘‘(B) evaluate and collect information on 

19 the effect of such models on— 

20 ‘‘(i) access to and quality of care; 

21 ‘‘(ii) outcomes with respect to the 

22 health of an individual; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) the experience of individuals who 

24 receive pregnancy-related health care; 


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1 ‘‘(C) develop qualitative and quantitative 

2 measures to identify best practices for the ex3 pansion and use of such models; 

4 ‘‘(D) study the effect of such models on 

5 patient outcomes and maternity care providers; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(E) conduct any other activity determined 

8 by the Secretary. 

9 ‘‘(2) PERMISSIBLE USES.—Recipients of grants 

10 under this section may use grants to support— 

11 ‘‘(A) the use and expansion of technology12 enabled collaborative learning and capacity 

13 building models, including hardware and soft14 ware that— 

15 ‘‘(i) enables distance learning and 

16 technical support; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) supports the secure exchange of 

18 electronic health information; and 

19 ‘‘(B) maternity care providers, students, 

20 and other similar professionals in the provision 

21 of maternity care through such models. 

22 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity seeking a 

24 grant under subsection (a) shall submit to the Sec25 retary an application, at such time, in such manner, 


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1 and containing such information as the Secretary 

2 may require. 

3 ‘‘(2) ASSURANCE.—An application under para4 graph (1) shall include an assurance that such entity 

5 shall collect information on and assess the effect of 

6 the use of technology-enabled collaborative learning 

7 and capacity building models, including with respect 

8 to— 

9 ‘‘(A) maternal health outcomes; 

10 ‘‘(B) access to maternal health care serv11 ices; 

12 ‘‘(C) quality of maternal health care; and 

13 ‘‘(D) retention of maternity care providers 

14 serving areas and populations described in sub15 section (a). 

16 ‘‘(d) LIMITATIONS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) NUMBER.—The Secretary may not award 

18 more than 1 grant under this section. 

19 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this 

20 section shall be for a 5-year period. 

21 ‘‘(e) ACCESS TO BROADBAND.—In administering 

22 grants under this section, the Secretary may coordinate 

23 with other agencies to ensure that funding opportunities 

24 are available to support access to reliable, high-speed 

25 internet for grantees. 


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1 ‘‘(f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

2 provide (either directly or by contract) technical assistance 

3 to eligible entities, including recipients of grants under 

4 subsection (a), on the development, use, and sustainability 

5 of technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity 

6 building models to expand access to maternal health care 

7 services provided by such entities, including— 

8 ‘‘(1) in health professional shortage areas; 

9 ‘‘(2) in areas with high rates of maternal mor10 tality and severe maternal morbidity or significant 

11 maternal health disparities; 

12 ‘‘(3) in rural and underserved areas; and 

13 ‘‘(4) for medically underserved populations or 

14 American Indians and Alaska Natives. 

15 ‘‘(g) RESEARCH AND EVALUATION.—The Secretary, 

16 in consultation with experts, shall develop a strategic plan 

17 to research and evaluate the evidence for technology-en18 abled collaborative learning and capacity building models. 

19 ‘‘(h) REPORTING.— 

20 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An eligible entity 

21 that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall sub22 mit to the Secretary a report, at such time, in such 

23 manner, and containing such information as the Sec24 retary may require. 


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1 ‘‘(2) SECRETARY.—Not later than 4 years after 

2 the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary 

3 shall submit to the Congress, and make available on 

4 the website of the Department of Health and 

5 Human Services, a report that includes— 

6 ‘‘(A) a description of grants awarded 

7 under subsection (a) and the purpose and 

8 amounts of such grants; 

9 ‘‘(B) a summary of— 

10 ‘‘(i) the evaluations conducted under 

11 subsection (b)(1)(B); 

12 ‘‘(ii) any technical assistance provided 

13 under subsection (f); and 

14 ‘‘(iii) the activities conducted under 

15 subsection (a); and 

16 ‘‘(C) a description of any significant find17 ings with respect to— 

18 ‘‘(i) patient outcomes; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) best practices for expanding, 

20 using, or evaluating technology-enabled col21 laborative learning and capacity building 

22 models. 

23 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

24 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

25 $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 


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1 ‘‘(j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘eligible en4 tity’ means an entity that provides, or supports 

5 the provision of, maternal health care services 

6 or other evidence-based services for pregnant 

7 and postpartum individuals— 

8 ‘‘(i) in health professional shortage 

9 areas; 

10 ‘‘(ii) in rural or underserved areas; 

11 ‘‘(iii) in areas with high rates of ad12 verse maternal health outcomes or signifi13 cant racial and ethnic disparities in mater14 nal health outcomes; and 

15 ‘‘(iv) who are— 

16 ‘‘(I) members of medically under17 served populations; or 

18 ‘‘(II) American Indians and Alas19 ka Natives, including Indian Tribes, 

20 Tribal organizations, and Urban In21 dian organizations. 

22 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—An eligible entity may 

23 include entities that lead, or are capable of 

24 leading a technology-enabled collaborative learn25 ing and capacity building model. 


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1 ‘‘(2) HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE

2 AREA.—The term ‘health professional shortage area’ 

3 means a health professional shortage area des4 ignated under section 332. 

5 ‘‘(3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

6 has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 

7 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

8 Act. 

9 ‘‘(4) MATERNAL MORTALITY.—The term ‘ma10 ternal mortality’ means a death occurring during or 

11 within the 1-year period after pregnancy caused by 

12 pregnancy-related or childbirth complications, in13 cluding a suicide, overdose, or other death resulting 

14 from a mental health or substance use disorder at15 tributed to or aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth 

16 complications. 

17 ‘‘(5) MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED POPU18 LATION.—The term ‘medically underserved popu19 lation’ has the meaning given such term in section 

20 330(b)(3). 

21 ‘‘(6) POSTPARTUM.—The term ‘postpartum’ 

22 means the 1-year period beginning on the last date 

23 of an individual’s pregnancy. 

24 ‘‘(7) SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY.—The 

25 term ‘severe maternal morbidity’ means a health 


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1 condition, including a mental health or substance 

2 use disorder, attributed to or aggravated by preg3 nancy or childbirth that results in significant short4 term or long-term consequences to the health of the 

5 individual who was pregnant. 

6 ‘‘(8) TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED COLLABORATIVE

7 LEARNING AND CAPACITY BUILDING MODEL.—The 

8 term ‘technology-enabled collaborative learning and 

9 capacity building model’ means a distance health 

10 education model that connects health care profes11 sionals, and other specialists, through simultaneous 

12 interactive video conferencing for the purpose of fa13 cilitating case-based learning, disseminating best 

14 practices, and evaluating outcomes in the context of 

15 maternal health care. 

16 ‘‘(9) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Tribal 

17 organization’ has the meaning given such term in 

18 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu19 cation Assistance Act. 

20 ‘‘(10) URBAN INDIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

21 term ‘Urban Indian organization’ has the meaning 

22 given such term in section 4 of the Indian Health 

23 Care Improvement Act.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. GRANTS TO PROMOTE EQUITY IN MATERNAL 

2 HEALTH OUTCOMES THROUGH DIGITAL 

3 TOOLS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 1 year 

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

6 of Health and Human Services (in this section referred 

7 to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall make grants to eligible enti8 ties to reduce maternal health disparities by increasing ac9 cess to digital tools related to maternal health care, includ10 ing provider-facing technologies, such as early warning 

11 systems and clinical decision support mechanisms. 

12 (b) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

13 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 

14 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 

15 and containing such information as the Secretary may re16 quire. 

17 (c) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants under this 

18 section, the Secretary shall prioritize an eligible entity— 

19 (1) in an area with elevated rates of maternal 

20 mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal 

21 health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or 

22 childbirth outcomes; 

23 (2) in a health professional shortage area des24 ignated under section 332 of the Public Health Serv25 ice Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) or a rural or underserved 

26 area; and 


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1 (3) that promotes technology that addresses 

2 maternal health disparities. 

3 (d) LIMITATIONS.— 

4 (1) NUMBER.—The Secretary may award not 

5 more than 1 grant under this section. 

6 (2) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this 

7 section shall be for a 5-year period. 

8 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

9 provide technical assistance to an eligible entity on the de10 velopment, use, evaluation, and postgrant sustainability of 

11 digital tools for purposes of promoting equity in maternal 

12 health outcomes. 

13 (f) REPORTING.— 

14 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An eligible entity 

15 that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall sub16 mit to the Secretary a report, at such time, in such 

17 manner, and containing such information as the Sec18 retary may require. 

19 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than 4 years after 

20 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

21 shall submit to Congress a report that includes— 

22 (A) an evaluation on the effectiveness of 

23 grants awarded under this section to improve 

24 maternal health outcomes, particularly for pregVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:06 Nov 07, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5066.IH H5066

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1 nant and postpartum individuals from racial 

2 and ethnic minority groups; 

3 (B) recommendations on new grant pro4 grams that promote the use of technology to 

5 improve such maternal health outcomes; and 

6 (C) recommendations with respect to— 

7 (i) technology-based privacy and secu8 rity safeguards in maternal health care; 

9 (ii) reimbursement rates for maternal 

10 telehealth services; 

11 (iii) the use of digital tools to analyze 

12 large data sets to identify potential preg13 nancy-related complications; 

14 (iv) barriers that prevent maternity 

15 care providers from providing telehealth 

16 services across States; 

17 (v) the use of consumer digital tools 

18 such as mobile phone applications, patient 

19 portals, and wearable technologies to im20 prove maternal health outcomes; 

21 (vi) barriers that prevent access to 

22 telehealth services, including a lack of ac23 cess to reliable, high-speed internet or elec24 tronic devices; 


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1 (vii) barriers to data sharing between 

2 the Special Supplemental Nutrition Pro3 gram for Women, Infants, and Children 

4 program and maternity care providers, and 

5 recommendations for addressing such bar6 riers; and 

7 (viii) lessons learned from expanded 

8 access to telehealth related to maternity 

9 care during the COVID–19 public health 

10 emergency. 

11 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

12 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

13 $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 

14 SEC. 5. REPORT ON THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MATER15 NITY CARE. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

17 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 

18 Human Services shall seek to enter an agreement with the 

19 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medi20 cine (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘National Academies’’) 

21 under which the National Academies shall conduct a study 

22 on the use of technology and patient monitoring devices 

23 in maternity care. 


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1 (b) CONTENT.—The agreement entered into pursu2 ant to subsection (a) shall provide for the study of the 

3 following: 

4 (1) The use of innovative technology (including 

5 artificial intelligence) in maternal health care, in6 cluding the extent to which such technology has af7 fected racial or ethnic biases in maternal health 

8 care. 

9 (2) The use of patient monitoring devices (in10 cluding pulse oximeter devices) in maternal health 

11 care, including the extent to which such devices have 

12 affected racial or ethnic biases in maternal health 

13 care. 

14 (3) Best practices for reducing and preventing 

15 racial or ethnic biases in the use of innovative tech16 nology and patient monitoring devices in maternity 

17 care. 

18 (4) Best practices in the use of innovative tech19 nology and patient monitoring devices for pregnant 

20 and postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic 

21 minority groups. 

22 (5) Best practices with respect to privacy and 

23 security safeguards in such use. 

24 (c) REPORT.—The agreement under subsection (a) 

25 shall direct the National Academies to complete the study 


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1 under this section, and transmit to Congress a report on 

2 the results of the study, not later than 24 months after 

3 the date of enactment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) MATERNAL MORTALITY.—The term ‘‘mater7 nal mortality’’ means a death occurring during or 

8 within a 1-year period after pregnancy, caused by 

9 pregnancy-related or childbirth complications, in10 cluding a suicide, overdose, or other death resulting 

11 from a mental health or substance use disorder at12 tributed to or aggravated by pregnancy-related or 

13 childbirth complications. 

14 (2) MATERNITY CARE PROVIDER.—The term 

15 ‘‘maternity care provider’’ means a health care pro16 vider who— 

17 (A) is a physician, a physician assistant, a 

18 midwife who meets, at a minimum, the inter19 national definition of a midwife and global 

20 standards for midwifery education as estab21 lished by the International Confederation of 

22 Midwives, an advanced practice registered 

23 nurse, or a lactation consultant certified by the 

24 International Board of Lactation Consultant 

25 Examiners; and 


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1 (B) has a focus on maternal or perinatal 

2 health. 

3 (3) POSTPARTUM.—The term ‘‘postpartum’’ re4 fers to the 1-year period beginning on the last day 

5 of the pregnancy of an individual. 

6 (4) RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY GROUP.— 

7 The term ‘‘racial and ethnic minority group’’ has the 

8 meaning given such term in section 1707(g)(1) of 

9 the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u– 

10 6(g)(1)). 

11 (5) SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY.—The term 

12 ‘‘severe maternal morbidity’’ means a health condi13 tion, including mental health conditions and sub14 stance use disorders, attributed to or aggravated by 

15 pregnancy or childbirth that results in significant 

16 short-term or long-term consequences to the health 

17 of the individual who was pregnant. 

Æ 


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