IIB 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8163 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
OCTOBER 11, 2022 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions 
AN ACT 
To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to 
trauma care. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Trauma 
Systems and Emergency Care Act’’. 
SEC. 2. TRAUMA CARE REAUTHORIZATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1201 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘analyze,’’ after ‘‘com-
pile,’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘and medically under-
served areas’’ before the semicolon; 
(B) in paragraph (4), by adding ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(C) by striking paragraph (5); and 
(D) by redesignating paragraph (6) as 
paragraph (5); 
(2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub-
section (c); and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) TRAUMA CARE READINESS
AND COORDINA-
TION.—The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Sec-
retary for Preparedness and Response, shall support the 
efforts of States and consortia of States to coordinate and 
improve emergency medical services and trauma care dur-
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ing a public health emergency declared by the Secretary 
pursuant to section 319 or a major disaster or emergency 
declared by the President under section 401 or 501, re-
spectively, of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act. Such support may include— 
‘‘(1) developing, issuing, and updating guid-
ance, as appropriate, to support the coordinated 
medical triage and evacuation to appropriate medical 
institutions based on patient medical need, taking 
into account regionalized systems of care; 
‘‘(2) disseminating, as appropriate, information 
on evidence-based or evidence-informed trauma care 
practices, taking into consideration emergency med-
ical services and trauma care systems, including 
such practices identified through activities conducted 
under subsection (a) and which may include the 
identification and dissemination of performance 
metrics, as applicable and appropriate; and 
‘‘(3) other activities, as appropriate, to optimize 
a coordinated and flexible approach to the emer-
gency response and medical surge capacity of hos-
pitals, other health care facilities, critical care, and 
emergency medical systems.’’. 
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(b) GRANTS TO IMPROVE TRAUMA CARE IN RURAL 
AREAS.—Section 1202 of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 300d–3) is amended— 
(1) by amending the section heading to read as 
follows: ‘‘GRANTS TO IMPROVE TRAUMA CARE 
IN RURAL AREAS’’; 
(2) by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(a) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants to eligible entities for the purpose of carrying out 
research and demonstration projects to support the im-
provement of emergency medical services and trauma care 
in rural areas through the development of innovative uses 
of technology, training and education, transportation of 
seriously injured patients for the purposes of receiving 
such emergency medical services, access to prehospital 
care, evaluation of protocols for the purposes of improve-
ment of outcomes and dissemination of any related best 
practices, activities to facilitate clinical research, as appli-
cable and appropriate, and increasing communication and 
coordination with applicable State or Tribal trauma sys-
tems. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section, an entity shall be a public 
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or private entity that provides trauma care in a 
rural area. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 
entities that will provide services under the grant in 
any rural area identified by a State under section 
1214(d)(1).’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) REPORTS.—An entity that receives a grant 
under this section shall submit to the Secretary such re-
ports as the Secretary may require to inform administra-
tion of the program under this section.’’. 
(c) PILOT GRANTS FOR TRAUMA CENTERS.—Section 
1204 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d– 
6) is amended— 
(1) by amending the section heading to read as 
follows: ‘‘PILOT
GRANTS
FOR
TRAUMA
CEN-
TERS’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘not fewer than 4’’ and in-
serting ‘‘10’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘that design, implement, 
and evaluate’’ and inserting ‘‘to design, imple-
ment, and evaluate new or existing’’; 
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(C) by striking ‘‘emergency care’’ and in-
serting ‘‘emergency medical’’; and 
(D) by inserting ‘‘, and improve access to 
trauma care within such systems’’ before the 
period; 
(3) in subsection (b)(1), by striking subpara-
graphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A) a State or consortia of States; 
‘‘(B) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organiza-
tion (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self- 
Determination and Education Assistance Act); 
‘‘(C) a consortium of level I, II, or III 
trauma centers designated by applicable State 
or local agencies within an applicable State or 
region, and, as applicable, other emergency 
services providers; or 
‘‘(D) a consortium or partnership of non-
profit Indian Health Service, Indian Tribal, and 
urban Indian trauma centers.’’; 
(4) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph 
(1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘that proposes a pilot 
project’’; and 
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(ii) by striking ‘‘an emergency medical 
and trauma system that—’’ and inserting 
‘‘a new or existing emergency medical and 
trauma system. Such eligible entity shall 
use amounts awarded under this sub-
section to carry out 2 or more of the fol-
lowing activities:’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘coordinates’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Strengthening coordination and 
communication’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘an approach to emer-
gency medical and trauma system access 
throughout the region, including 9–1–1 
Public Safety Answering Points and emer-
gency medical dispatch;’’ and inserting 
‘‘approaches to improve situational aware-
ness and emergency medical and trauma 
system access.’’; 
(C) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘includes’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘Providing’’; 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘support patient 
movement to’’ after ‘‘region to’’; and 
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(iii) by striking the semicolon and in-
serting a period; 
(D) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘allows for’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘Improving’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting 
a period; 
(E) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘includes 
a consistent’’ and inserting ‘‘Supporting a con-
sistent’’; and 
(F) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) Establishing, implementing, and dissemi-
nating, or utilizing existing, as applicable, evidence- 
based or evidence-informed practices across facilities 
within such emergency medical and trauma system 
to improve health outcomes, including such practices 
related to management of injuries, and the ability of 
such facilities to surge. 
‘‘(6) Conducting activities to facilitate clinical 
research, as applicable and appropriate.’’; 
(5) in subsection (d)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 
by striking ‘‘the proposed’’ and inserting 
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‘‘the applicable emergency medical and 
trauma system’’; 
(ii) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘or 
Tribal entity’’ after ‘‘equivalent State of-
fice’’; and 
(iii) in clause (vi), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 
and inserting a semicolon; 
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
subparagraph (C); and 
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
the following: 
‘‘(B) for eligible entities described in sub-
paragraph (C) or (D) of subsection (b)(1), a de-
scription of, and evidence of, coordination with 
the applicable State Office of Emergency Med-
ical Services (or equivalent State Office) or ap-
plicable such office for a Tribe or Tribal organi-
zation; and’’; 
(6) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘population in 
a medically underserved area’’ and inserting ‘‘medi-
cally underserved population’’; 
(7) in subsection (g)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘described in’’; 
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(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘the sys-
tem characteristics that contribute to’’ and in-
serting ‘‘opportunities for improvement, includ-
ing recommendations for how to improve’’; 
(C) by striking paragraph (4); 
(D) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and 
(6) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; 
(E) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated, 
by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 
(F) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated, 
by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 
and 
(G) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) any evidence-based or evidence-informed 
strategies developed or utilized pursuant to sub-
section (c)(5).’’; and 
(8) by amending subsection (h) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(h) DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS.—Not later than 
1 year after the completion of the final project under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate 
and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
House of Representatives a report describing the informa-
tion contained in each report submitted pursuant to sub-
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section (g) and any additional actions planned by the Sec-
retary related to regionalized emergency care and trauma 
systems.’’. 
(d) PROGRAM FUNDING.—Section 1232(a) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300d–32(a)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘2010 through 2014’’ and inserting 
‘‘2023 through 2027’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 29, 
2022. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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