Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-657
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2007-02-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Ambulances
Authorization
Biological warfare
Child health
Communication in medicine
Congressional reporting requirements
Continuing education
Crime and Law Enforcement
Curricula
Data banks
Department of Health and Human Services
Disasters
Distance education
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Families
Federal aid to health facilities
Federal-state relations
Geriatrics
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Governmental investigations
Head injuries
Health information systems
Higher education
Housing and Community Development
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
Labor and Employment
Law
Licenses
Medical education
Medical records
Medical research
Medical residents
Medical statistics
Nonprofit organizations
Nurses
Paramedical personnel
Physicians
Planning
Rural health
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Standards
Telemedicine
Terrorism
Transportation and Public Works
Trauma care

Summary:
action_date: 2007-02-16
text: 
Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) collect, compile, and disseminate information on achievements and problems in providing trauma care and emergency medical services; and (2) promote the collection and categorization of trauma data in a consistent and standardized manner.
 
Removes authorization for the National Clearinghouse on Trauma Care and Emergency Medical Services. 
Allows the Secretary to make grants to entities to carry out demonstration projects to improve emergency medical services in rural areas by increasing communication and coordination with state trauma systems. 
Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants to improve access to and enhance the development of trauma care systems. 
 Revises the matching requirements for states to be eligible for grants to improve emergency medical services. 
Prohibits the Secretary from making trauma care grants to a state unless the state's emergency medical services plan coordinates planning for trauma systems with state disaster emergency planning and bioterrorism hospital preparedness planning. Requires the Secretary to update the model plan for the designation of trauma centers and for triage, transfer, and transportation policies. 
 
Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine or another appropriate entity to conduct a study on the state of trauma care and trauma research.
action_date: 2007-03-29
text: 
Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2007 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) collect, compile, and disseminate information on achievements and problems in providing trauma care and emergency medical services; and (2) promote the collection and categorization of trauma data in a consistent and standardized manner.

(Sec. 3) Removes authorization for the National Clearinghouse on Trauma Care and Emergency Medical Services. 
(Sec. 4) Allows the Secretary to make grants to public and nonprofit private entities to carry out demonstration projects to improve emergency medical services in rural areas by increasing communication and coordination with state trauma systems. 
(Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants to states, political subdivisions, or consortia thereof to improve access to and enhance the development of trauma care systems. Requires grant funds be used to: (1) integrate and broaden the reach of such a system; (2) strengthen, develop, and improve an existing system; (3) expand communications between the system and emergency medical services through improved equipment or a telemedicine system; (4) improve data collection and retention; or (5) increase education, training, and technical assistance opportunities. Requires the Secretary to give preference in awarding grants to applicants that: (1) have developed a process, using national standards, for designating trauma centers; (2) recognize protocols for the delivery of seriously injured patients to trauma centers; (3) implement a process for evaluating the performance of the trauma system; and (4) agree to participate in specified information systems by collecting, providing, and sharing information. Requires the Secretary to give priority to applicants that will use the grants to focus on improving access to trauma care systems. Requires the Secretary to give special consideration to projects that demonstrate strong state or local support. 
 (Sec. 6) Revises the matching requirements for states to be eligible for grants to improve emergency medical services by decreasing the amount of matching funds required after the fourth and subsequent years of grant payments to the state. 
(Sec. 7) Prohibits the Secretary from making trauma care grants to a state unless the state's emergency medical services plan coordinates planning for trauma systems with state disaster emergency planning and bioterrorism hospital preparedness planning. Requires the Secretary to update the model plan for the designation of trauma centers and for triage, transfer, and transportation policies. 
(Sec. 8) Prohibits the Secretary from making trauma grants to a state unless the state submits to the Secretary any changes to, and any plans to address deficiencies in, the trauma care component. 
(Sec. 9) Removes the requirement that states, in order to receive trauma grant funds, must agree not to expend such payments to purchase any major medical or communication equipment, ambulances, or aircraft. 
(Sec. 10) Removes provisions related to annual reporting requirements for states. 
(Sec. 11) Sets forth reporting requirements. 
 
(Sec. 12) Authorizes appropriation for FY2008-FY2012. 
(Sec. 13) Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for residency training programs in emergency medicine. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-03-29
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 98.
action_date: 2007-03-29
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Kennedy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2007-03-29
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Kennedy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2007-03-15
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2007-02-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2169-2171)
action_date: 2007-02-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2168-2169)
action_date: 2007-02-16
text: Introduced in Senate