I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 568
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary 
of Education, acting jointly, to make grants for community outreach 
programs to empower patients and health care consumers, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 2, 2005
Mrs. MCCARTHY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce, 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 authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
and the Secretary of Education, acting jointly, to make 
grants for community outreach programs to empower 
patients and health care consumers, and for other pur-
poses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Patient Empowerment 
and Education Act of 2005’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Preventable medical errors cause as many 
as 98,000 deaths each year in hospitals, according 
to the Institute of Medicine. 
(2) There are currently many safety procedures 
in place to be followed by medical professionals in 
hospitals and other medical facilities to prevent med-
ical errors, yet 42 percent of Americans still say 
they have personally experienced a medical error. 
(3) One way to address the issue of increasing 
medical errors and medical malpractice suits is to 
empower patients and health care consumers, there-
by curbing litigation and reducing medical errors 
that cost the economy as much as $29 billion annu-
ally, half of which consists of health care costs. 
(4) According to the Agency for Healthcare Re-
search and Quality, the best way to prevent medical 
errors is for an individual to be an active member 
of his or her health care team. 
(5) Educating patients and health care con-
sumers about applicable safety procedures and poli-
cies and about standards of care will help to reduce 
medical errors.
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO EMPOWER PATIENTS AND HEALTH 
CARE CONSUMERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services and the Secretary of Education, acting 
jointly (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretaries’’), may 
make grants to nonprofit organizations for community 
outreach programs to empower patients and health care 
consumers. 
(b) USE OF FUNDS.—The Secretaries may make a 
grant to an organization under this section only if the or-
ganization agrees to use the grant for a community out-
reach program to empower patients and health care con-
sumers, including by—
(1) educating patients and health care con-
sumers about their role in making health care safer 
for themselves and their families, including through 
the use of public service announcements and patient 
safety workshops; 
(2) educating children about their role in mak-
ing health care safer for themselves, including 
through the use of outreach programs in local school 
systems; and 
(3) supporting victims and family members af-
fected by medical errors, including through the use 
of counseling and peer support services.
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006 and 
each subsequent fiscal year.
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