Health Care Modernization, Cost Reduction, and Quality Improvement Act

Bill: 108-s-2421
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2004-05-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Agriculture and Food
Arthritis
Automation
Beverages
Bikeways
Case management
Child nutrition
Chronically ill
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Clinics
Coinsurance
Commemorations
Commerce
Communication in medicine
Community health services
Computer software
Computers
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer complaints
Consumer education
Curricula
Data banks
Dental care
Department of Health and Human Services
Diabetes
Diet
Disabled
Distance education
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Electronic data interchange
Electronic funds transfers
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Emergency medicine
Employee health benefits
Environmental Protection
Epidemiology
Exercise
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to child health services
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to health facilities
Federal aid to research
Federal office buildings
Federally-guaranteed loans
Finance and Financial Sector
Fringe benefits
Fruit
Government Operations and Politics
Government lending
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Greenways
Group medical practice
Health care fraud
Health counseling
Health education
Health information systems
Health insurance
Health planning
Health surveys
Hepatitis
Higher education
Historic sites
History
Hospital rates
Hospitals
Imaging systems in medicine
Indian medical care
Influenza
Information technology
Internet
Labeling
Labor and Employment
Language and languages
Law
Long-term care
Medicaid
Medical economics
Medical education
Medical fees
Medical personnel
Medical records
Medical research
Medical screening
Medical statistics
Medical supplies
Medical tests
Medically uninsured
Medicare
Mentally disabled
Minorities
Minority health
Native Americans
Natural areas
Nursing homes
Nutrition
Obesity
Oils and fats
Paramedical personnel
Parks
Patients' rights
Pedestrians
Physical education and training
Poor children
Potable water
Preventive medicine
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Public service advertising
Quality of care
Quality of life
Recreation centers
Revolving funds
Right of privacy
Salt
School health programs
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Self-care
Social Welfare
Sports and Recreation
Standards
Stroke
Sugar
Teacher education
Telephone
Trails
Translating and interpreting
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation engineering
Vaccination
Vegetables
Vending machines
Water Resources Development
Web sites
Women
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2004-05-13
text: 
Health Care Modernization, Cost Reduction, and Quality Improvement Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the use of clinical informatics systems that include the ability to access and share patients' medical records.
 
Amends the Public Health Service Act and the the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to require a group health plan, and a health insurance issuer providing group health insurance coverage, to: (1) have an automated, integrated system that allows for adjudication of claims and the detection of fraud and abuse by December 31, 2008; and (2) provide coverage for preventive health care items and services specified by the Secretary.
 
Requires the Secretary to support: (1) comprehensive diabetes and arthritis control and prevention programs; (2) stroke care systems that provide high-quality prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation; (3) programs that improve the rate of immunization of adults and adolescents; and (4) programs that improve oral health, especially for adults with intellectual or chronic diseases.
 
Requires Federal agencies that carry out health care-related activities or provide health care-related financial assistance to develop and implement a plan to improve access to such activities and assistance to limited English proficient individuals.
 
Establishes the National Quality Advisory Council to identify national aims and objectives for health care quality improvement, track progress in meeting such aims, and make recommendations to Congress and the public concerning health care quality policies and programs for improvement.
 
Requires the Secretary to establish and implement activities to encourage healthy dietary choice and increase physical activity in schools, work sites, and communities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-05-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2004-05-13
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5479-5480)
action_date: 2004-05-13
text: Introduced in Senate