SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stroke Treatment and
Ongoing Prevention Act’’.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT
REGARDING STROKE PROGRAMS.
(a) STROKE EDUCATION AND INFORMATION PRO-
GRAMS.—Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
‘‘PART R—STROKE EDUCATION, INFORMATION,
AND DATA COLLECTION PROGRAMS
‘‘SEC. 399AA. STROKE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION CAM-
PAIGN.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out an
education and information campaign to promote stroke
prevention and increase the number of stroke patients who
seek immediate treatment.
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—In implementing the
education and information campaign under subsection (a),
the Secretary may—
‘‘(1) make public service announcements about
the warning signs of stroke and the importance of
treating stroke as a medical emergency;
‘‘(2) provide education regarding ways to pre-
vent stroke and the effectiveness of stroke treat-
ment; and
‘‘(3) carry out other activities that the Sec-
retary determines will promote prevention practices
among the general public and increase the number
of stroke patients who seek immediate care.
‘‘(c) MEASUREMENTS.—In implementing the edu-
cation and information campaign under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) measure public awareness before the start
of the campaign to provide baseline data that will be
used to evaluate the effectiveness of the public
awareness efforts;
‘‘(2) establish quantitative benchmarks to meas-
ure the impact of the campaign over time; and
‘‘(3) measure the impact of the campaign not
less than once every 2 years or, if determined appro-
priate by the Secretary, at shorter intervals.
‘‘(d) NO DUPLICATION OF EFFORT.—In carrying out
this section, the Secretary shall avoid duplicating existing
stroke education efforts by other Federal Government
agencies.
‘‘(e) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this section,
the Secretary may consult with organizations and individ-
uals with expertise in stroke prevention, diagnosis, treat-
ment, and rehabilitation.
‘‘SEC. 399BB. PAUL COVERDELL NATIONAL ACUTE STROKE
REGISTRY AND CLEARINGHOUSE.
‘‘The Secretary, acting through the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, shall maintain the Paul
Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry and Clearing-
house by—
‘‘(1) continuing to develop and collect specific
data points and appropriate benchmarks for ana-
lyzing care of acute stroke patients;
‘‘(2) collecting, compiling, and disseminating in-
formation on the achievements of, and problems ex-
perienced by, State and local agencies and private
entities in developing and implementing emergency
medical systems and hospital-based quality of care
interventions; and
‘‘(3) carrying out any other activities the Sec-
retary determines to be useful to maintain the Paul
Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry and Clear-
inghouse to reflect the latest advances in all forms
of stroke care.
‘‘SEC. 399CC. STROKE DEFINITION.
‘‘For purposes of this part, the term ‘stroke’ means
a ‘brain attack’ in which blood flow to the brain is inter-
rupted or in which a blood vessel or aneurysm in the brain
breaks or ruptures.
‘‘SEC. 399DD. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this part $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 through
2009.’’.
(b) EMERGENCY MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP-
MENT.—Section 1251 of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 300d–51) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘SEC. 1251. MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN AD-
VANCED STROKE AND TRAUMATIC INJURY
TREATMENT AND PREVENTION.
‘‘(a) RESIDENCY AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL TRAIN-
ING.—The Secretary may make grants to public and non-
profit entities for the purpose of planning, developing, and
enhancing approved residency training programs and
other professional training for appropriate health profes-
sions in emergency medicine, including emergency medical
services professionals, to improve stroke and traumatic in-
jury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.
‘‘(b) CONTINUING EDUCATION
ON STROKE
AND
TRAUMATIC INJURY.—
‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary, acting through
the Administrator of the Health Resources and Serv-
ices Administration, may make grants to qualified
entities for the development and implementation of
education programs for appropriate health care pro-
fessionals in the use of newly developed diagnostic
approaches, technologies, and therapies for health
professionals involved in the prevention, diagnosis,
treatment, and rehabilitation of stroke or traumatic
injury.
‘‘(2) DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.—In awarding
grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give
preference to qualified entities that will train health
care professionals that serve areas with a significant
incidence of stroke or traumatic injuries.
‘‘(3) APPLICATION.—A qualified entity desiring
a grant under this subsection shall submit to the
Secretary an application at such time, in such man-
ner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require, including a plan for the rigorous
evaluation of activities carried out with amounts re-
ceived under the grant.
‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section:
‘‘(A) The term ‘qualified entity’ means a
consortium of public and private entities, such
as universities, academic medical centers, hos-
pitals, and emergency medical systems that are
coordinating education activities among pro-
viders serving in a variety of medical settings.
‘‘(B) The term ‘stroke’ means a ‘brain at-
tack’ in which blood flow to the brain is inter-
rupted or in which a blood vessel or aneurysm
in the brain breaks or ruptures.
‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the alloca-
tion of grants under this section, the Secretary shall sub-
mit 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 on
the results of activities carried out with amounts received
under this section.
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
The Secretary shall equitably allocate the funds author-
ized to be appropriated under this section between efforts
to address stroke and efforts to address traumatic in-
jury.’’.
SEC. 3. PILOT PROJECT ON TELEHEALTH STROKE TREAT-
MENT.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Part D of title III of the Pub-
lic Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended
by inserting after section 330L the following:
‘‘SEC. 330M. TELEHEALTH STROKE TREATMENT GRANT
PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) GRANTS.—The Secretary may make grants to
States, and to consortia of public and private entities lo-
cated in any State that is not a grantee under this section,
to conduct a 5-year pilot project over the period of fiscal
years 2005 through 2009 to improve stroke patient out-
comes by coordinating health care delivery through tele-
health networks.
‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall admin-
ister this section through the Director of the Office for
the Advancement of Telehealth.
‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this section,
for the purpose of better coordinating program activities,
the Secretary shall consult with—
‘‘(1) officials responsible for other Federal pro-
grams involving stroke research and care, including
such programs established by the Stroke Treatment
and Ongoing Prevention Act; and
‘‘(2) organizations and individuals with exper-
tise in stroke prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and
rehabilitation.
‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may not
make a grant to a State or a consortium under this
section unless the State or consortium agrees to use
the grant for the purpose of—
‘‘(A) identifying entities with expertise in
the delivery of high-quality stroke prevention,
diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation;
‘‘(B) working with those entities to estab-
lish or improve telehealth networks to provide
stroke treatment assistance and resources to
health care professionals, hospitals, and other
individuals and entities that serve stroke pa-
tients;
‘‘(C) informing emergency medical systems
of the location of entities identified under sub-
paragraph (A) to facilitate the appropriate
transport of individuals with stroke symptoms;
‘‘(D) establishing networks to coordinate
collaborative activities for stroke prevention, di-
agnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation;
‘‘(E) improving access to high-quality
stroke care, especially for populations with a
shortage of stroke care specialists and popu-
lations with a high incidence of stroke; and
‘‘(F) conducting ongoing performance and
quality evaluations to identify collaborative ac-
tivities that improve clinical outcomes for stroke
patients.
‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
CONSORTIUM.—The
Secretary may not make a grant to a State under
this section unless the State agrees to establish a
consortium of public and private entities, including
universities and academic medical centers, to carry
out the activities described in paragraph (1).
‘‘(3) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary may not
make a grant under this section to a State that has
an existing telehealth network that is or may be
used for improving stroke prevention, diagnosis,
treatment, and rehabilitation, or to a consortium lo-
cated in such a State, unless the State or consor-
tium agrees that—
‘‘(A) the State or consortium will use an
existing telehealth network to achieve the pur-
pose of the grant; and
‘‘(B) the State or consortium will not es-
tablish a separate network for such purpose.
‘‘(e) PRIORITY.—In selecting grant recipients under
this section, the Secretary shall give priority to any appli-
cant that submits a plan demonstrating how the applicant,
and where applicable the members of the consortium de-
scribed in subsection (d)(2), will use the grant to improve
access to high-quality stroke care for populations with
shortages of stroke-care specialists and populations with
a high incidence of stroke.
‘‘(f) GRANT PERIOD.—The Secretary may not award
a grant to a State or a consortium under this section for
any period that—
‘‘(1) is greater than 3 years; or
‘‘(2) extends beyond the end of fiscal year
2009.
‘‘(g) RESTRICTION
ON NUMBER
OF GRANTS.—In
carrying out the 5-year pilot project under this section,
the Secretary may not award more than 7 grants.
‘‘(h) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant under this sec-
tion, a State or a consortium of public and private entities
shall submit an application to the Secretary in such form,
in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require. At a minimum, the Secretary shall
require each such application to outline how the State or
consortium will establish baseline measures and bench-
marks to evaluate program outcomes.
‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘stroke’
means a ‘brain attack’ in which blood flow to the brain
is interrupted or in which a blood vessel or aneurysm in
the brain breaks or ruptures.
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $13,000,000 for fiscal
year 2006, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, $8,000,000
for fiscal year 2008, and $4,000,000 for fiscal year
2009.’’.
(b) STUDY; REPORTS.—
(1) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than March 31,
2010, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall conduct a study of the results of the telehealth
stroke treatment grant program under section 330M
of the Public Health Service Act (added by sub-
section (a)) and submit to the Congress a report on
such results that includes the following:
(A) An evaluation of the grant program
outcomes, including quantitative analysis of
baseline and benchmark measures.
(B) Recommendations on how to promote
stroke networks in ways that improve access to
clinical care in rural and urban areas and re-
duce the incidence of stroke and the debilitating
and costly complications resulting from stroke.
(C) Recommendations on whether similar
telehealth grant programs could be used to im-
prove patient outcomes in other public health
areas.
(2) INTERIM
REPORTS.—The Secretary of
Health and Human Services may provide interim re-
ports to the Congress on the telehealth stroke treat-
ment grant program under section 330M of the
Public Health Service Act (added by subsection (a))
at such intervals as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize
the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish
Federal standards for the treatment of patients or the li-
censure of health care professionals.
Passed the House of Representatives June 14, 2004.
Attest:
Clerk.