zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Health Access and Health Professions Supply Act of 2009 or HAHPSA 2009 - Establishes the National Health Care Workforce Commission to: (1) review current and projected health care workforce supply and demand; and (2) make recommendations to Congress and the Administration concerning national health care workforce priorities, goals, and policies. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make matching grants to states for the operation of State Health Workforce Centers to improve the training, deployment, and retention of critical health professionals in underserved areas and for underserved populations. Revises provisions related to payments for direct graduate medical education costs and for the indirect costs of medical education, including to: (1) support the implementation of community-based training and innovative training models; and (2) require the Secretary to revise policies that constrain the Secretary's ability to respond to emergency situations and situations involving institutional and program closure. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide coverage of geriatric assessments and chronic care management and coordination services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to use excess amounts appropriated to address shortages of health professionals in rural, frontier, and urban underserved areas. Expands loan repayment programs and training programs for health professionals. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program for Medical, Dental, Physician Assistant, Pharmacy, Behavioral and Mental Health, Public Health, and Nursing Students in the United States Public Health Sciences Track in Affiliated Schools; and (2) award grants to increase health professions training in high-needs specialties.

Date: 2009-06-26
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act - (Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop and carry out a program of support services for family and non-family caregivers providing noninstitutional extended care to disabled veterans enrolled in the VA health care system. Requires such support services to include: (1) educational sessions, stipends, and access to support services; (2) counseling and related services; (3) respite care; (4) medical care for family caregivers; and (5) travel expenses in connection with the outpatient care of such veterans. Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct outreach to inform disabled veterans and their families of services available for caregivers, as well as the ability of a caregiver to be trained and certified by a home health care agency in order to be paid for providing such services; (2) submit to the congressional veterans' committees a plan for implementation of such program; and (3) report annually thereafter for five years on plan implementation. (Sec. 3) Makes counseling and mental health services available to family and non-family caregivers of enrolled veterans. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to ensure that respite care meets the needs of the veteran receiving such care, including 24-hour home respite care, and is appropriate with respect to the veteran's age. (Sec. 5) Authorizes the provision of medical care through the VA for family caregivers of eligible veterans, if the caregiver is without health insurance and ineligible for other public health insurance. Defines a "family caregiver" as an individual who provides care to a veteran who was deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom and are determined by the Secretary to: (1) have a severe service-connected disability or illness; (2) be in need of caregiver services since, without such services, the veteran would require hospitalization, nursing home care, or other residential institutional care; and (3) be unable to carry out the activities of daily living. (Sec. 6) Authorizes a lodging and subsistence allowance for family caregivers of eligible veterans described above, to cover the time in which the veteran is traveling to and from a treatment facility as well as the duration of the treatment period. (Sec. 7) Requires the Secretary to: (1) at least once every three years, design and conduct a survey of family and non-family caregivers; (2) consider survey findings when carrying out programs related to caregivers; and (3) report to the veterans' committees on survey results and services made available to caregivers.

Date: 2009-07-09
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Place Based Health Care Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to Eligible Community Integrated Health Centers, which are organizations: (1) seeking to fully integrate their health care services into the community by locating in or near settings that serve particular target populations, such as schools, workplaces, or senior service facilities; and (2) organized for the purpose of providing health care, improving the quality of health care, and reducing the costs associated with the provision of health care provided to Center patients. Requires states to implement procedures to pay for primary health services furnished in a school-based health clinic under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP). Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business credit for employer-provided health and wellness benefits. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to require the Assistant Secretary for Aging to establish an evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion program. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize a Medicare Advantage organization to offer a Medicare Advantage plan exclusively within a geographic area that is limited to a senior housing facility if certain requirements are met. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary to award grants for the planning and delivery of services to a special medically underserved population comprised of: (1) school-aged children in a school-based health center; or (2) residents of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, patrons of multipurpose senior centers, and individuals living in areas and facilities immediately accessible to such Communities and centers.

Date: 2009-07-09
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to include among reasonable costs for Medicare payment to hospitals specified educational costs of a hospital and affiliated schools and settings attributable to expanded training of advanced practice nurses.

Date: 2009-07-13
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Emergency Medic Transition Act of 2010 or the EMT Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program of awarding grants to states to assist veterans who received and completed military emergency medical training while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces to become, upon their discharge or release from active duty service, state-licensed or certified emergency medical technicians. Allows such funds to be used to: (1) provide such veterans required course work and training (that takes into account, and is not duplicative of, medical course work and training already received) to satisfy emergency medical services personnel certification requirements in the civilian sector; (2) provide reimbursement for costs associated with such course work and training and with applying for licensure or certification; (3) expedite the licensing or certification process; and (4) enter into an agreement with an educational institution to provide course work and training under this Act. Requires a state, to be eligible for a grant under this Act, to demonstrate that it has a shortage of emergency medical technicians. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) study the barriers experienced by such veterans seeking to become licensed or certified in a state as civilian health professionals; and (2) report to Congress on the results of such study, including recommendations on whether the program under this Act should be expanded to assist veterans seeking to become licensed or certified in a state as health providers other than emergency medical technicians.

Date: 2009-07-14
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Rural Physician Pipeline Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to establish a program to make grants to accredited schools of allopathic or osteopathic medicine to: (1) assist such schools in recruiting students most likely to practice medicine in underserved rural communities; (2) provide rural-focused training and experience; and (3) increase the number of recent allopathic and osteopathic medical school graduates who practice in underserved rural communities. Requires the Secretary to convene a Rural Training Program Symposium to: (1) develop best practices for such schools; and (2) establish a network of medical schools that have developed or will develop rural training programs.

Date: 2009-09-24
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Ensuring the Future Physician Workforce Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to the formula for calculating payments for physicians' services. Resets to 2009 the base year for application of the sustainable growth rate formula, which shall be eliminated in 2011. Amends SSA title XVIII to extend the current transitional bonus payments through 2011 at 3%. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a reporting system for quality measures relating to physicians' services that focus on disease-specific high cost conditions. Amends SSA title XI to create safe harbors to antikickback and civil and criminal penalties for provision of health information technology (HIT) and training services. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the impact of such safe harbors. Amends SSA title XVIII to create an exception to the limitation on certain physician referrals for the provision of HIT and training services to health care professionals. Directs the Secretary to report annually to: (1) each physician information on the physician's total Medicare billings; and (2) each individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) and part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) on the amount of Medicare payments made to or on behalf of the individual during the year involved. Directs the Secretary to collect data on annual savings in expenditures in the Medicare program due to physicians' services that resulted in hospital or in-patient diversion. Requires the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to monitor and examine the extent to which the different funding mechanisms under Medicare parts A, B, and D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) provide an appropriate alignment with the program goals of the respective parts. Requires the Secretary to provide for a study of, and report to Congress on, health care disparities in high-risk health condition areas and minority communities with respect to the impact reporting requirements may have on physician penetration in such communities.

Date: 2009-10-01
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Medical Education Development Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program of grants to newly accredited allopathic medical schools to support scholarships, develop residencies, build infrastructure, recruit and retain faculty, and develop research programs, for the purpose of increasing the supply of physicians. Directs the Secretary to: (1) give first priority to schools accredited to admit students from FY2009-FY2014; (2) provide increased funding to schools that enroll larger classes while maintaining competitive faculty-to-student ratios; and (3) allocate funds to only schools that provide accountability and transparency in expending such funds. Requires: (1) each school to report annually on the specific uses of funds received and on how the grant has benefited the region and the nation; and (2) the Secretary to report annually on the extent to which such grants have increased the supply of physicians, resulted in greater access to health care, enabled the creation of new care models, provided economic regional benefits, and increased the focus on medical students' communications skills.

Date: 2009-10-08
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
School Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to, and enter contracts with, eligible entities to train elementary and secondary school nurses to serve as first responders and crisis managers in the event of: (1) a biological or chemical attack affecting individuals in a school building or on school grounds; or (2) an outbreak of pandemic influenza among students, faculty, or other individuals under their care. Requires any such training to prepare school nurses to: (1) take necessary measures, particularly in critical early stages, to protect and preserve life; (2) notify public health authorities as appropriate to help contain or mitigate the effects of an attack or outbreak; and (3) preserve evidence of a biological or chemical attack.

Date: 2009-10-13
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Rural Health Clinic Patient Access and Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to rural health clinic reimbursement. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make incentive payments to rural health clinic employees or contractors for satisfactory reporting of data on clinic quality measures. Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow a community health center to contract with a federally certified rural health clinic for the delivery of primary health care services to individuals who would otherwise be eligible for free or reduced cost care if they were able to obtain it at the community health center. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the diabetes education and medical nutrition therapy counseling services provided by federally qualified health clinics. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project of grants to states to examine whether health care professionals can be recruited or retained to work in underserved rural areas by providing them with medical malpractice subsidies. States that a rural health clinic qualified under Medicare or Medicaid may be defined and certified by the Secretary as rural even if it fails to satisfy the requirement that it not be located in an urbanized area. Amends SSA title XVIII to establish the minimum Medicare Advantage plan payment rate for services furnished by a rural health clinic. Expresses the sense of the Senate concerning the adequacy of network-based health plans.

Date: 2009-10-21
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Ending Defensive Medicine and Encouraging Innovative Reforms Act of 2009 - Provides for reform of health care lawsuits by: (1) allowing a party against whom a judgment for medical malpractice has been awarded to pay future damages of $50,000 or more in periodic payments; (2) making each party liable for that party's share of damages only; (3) requiring a court to appoint a qualified specialist to review a health care lawsuit and file a statement of opinion regarding whether such lawsuit has a reasonable and meritorious basis; (4) requiring the losing party to pay the costs and reasonable attorneys fees of the prevailing party; (5) absolving health care providers from liability if such providers acted consistently with accepted clinical practice guidelines; and (6) providing that evidence of Medicare payments and reimbursements made to health care providers shall not, in a health care lawsuit, constitute a determination that a health care provider has or has not met the applicable standard of care. Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) provide protections from civil liability for certain emergency medical personnel and health center volunteer practitioners; (2) grant incentive payments to states for medical liability reform; and (3) impose liability limits and other restrictions on health care lawsuits in states that have not adopted medical liability reforms. Protects disaster relief volunteers, nonprofit organizations, and other entities from civil liability for injuries related to disaster relief services, except for injuries caused by willful, wanton, or reckless misconduct.

Date: 2009-11-06
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Veterans Health Professionals Educational Assistance Act of 2009 - Reinstates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health professionals educational assistance scholarship program and permits furnishing scholarships to new participants in the program through 2014. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as additional requirements under such program, to: (1) modify the program in such a way that program graduates can be employed as soon as possible upon graduation and to actively assist and monitor graduates to ensure certifications are obtained in a minimal period following graduation; (2) require program participants to perform clinical tours; and (3) assign to each program participant a mentor who is employed at the same facility where the participant performs post-graduation obligated service. Increases maximum payments under the VA education debt reduction program. Allows the Secretary to waive such limits. Authorizes the Secretary to provide an educational loan repayment program for clinical researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds, in order to secure clinical research for the Veterans Health Administration. Directs the Secretary to: (1) transfer specified funds to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for including VA facilities on a list of facilities eligible for assignment of participants in the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program; and (2) identify all VA medical centers and community-based outpatient clinics that may be eligible for such assignments.

Date: 2009-12-01
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Women's Hospitals Education Equity Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make two payments to each eligible women's hospital for each of FY2010-FY2014: (1) one payment for direct expenses associated with operating approved graduate medical residency training programs; and (2) one for indirect expenses associated with the treatment of more severely ill patients and the additional costs relating to teaching residents in such programs. Requires the Secretary to: (1) make the payments in 12 equal interim installments based on the number of residents reported in the hospital's most recently filed Medicare cost report; (2) withhold up to 25% from each installment to ensure a hospital will not be overpaid on an interim basis; (3) determine, prior to the end of each fiscal year, any changes to the number of residents reported to determine the final amount; and (4) recoup any overpayments based on such determination. Considers the final amount so determined to be a final intermediary determination, subject to administrative and judicial review, under the Social Security Act. Applies to women's hospitals funded under this Act annual reporting requirements and provisions regarding direct graduate medical education payments and indirect medical education payments applicable to children's hospitals that operate graduate medical education programs.

Date: 2009-12-08
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Pediatric Workforce Investment Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to establish and carry out a pediatric specialty loan repayment program under which a qualified physician agrees to be employed full-time for not less than two years in providing pediatric medical subspecialty, surgical specialty, or psychiatric subspecialty care in a shortage area in exchange for repayment of educational loans. Requires an area to be determined to be a shortage area based on: (1) waiting times for patient care; (2) recruitment for unfilled positions; or (3) the ratio of the number of children who reside in the area who are in need of such pediatric subspecialty care to the number of pediatric subspecialists furnishing such services within 100 miles of the area.

Date: 2009-12-10
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Community-Based Residency Training Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program for the training of medical residents in community-based settings. Requires the Secretary to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities (i.e., entities designated as eligible to receive payment for the direct costs of medical education under provisions of the Social Security Act pertaining to payment to nonhospital providers) to: (1) plan and develop a new primary care residency training program; and (2) operate or participate in an established primary care residency training program. Directs the Secretary to give preference to entities that: (1) support teaching programs that address the health care needs of vulnerable populations; (2) are a federally qualified health center or a rural health clinic; or (3) have a demonstrated record of training a high or significantly improved percentage of health professionals who provide primary care, individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, or individuals who practice in settings having the principal focus of serving underserved areas or populations experiencing health disparities.

Date: 2009-12-19
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Veterans Access to Care Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as health professional shortage areas. Requires, for eligibility to participate in the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, that an individual not be participating in the VA's Health Professionals Educational Assistance Program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in carrying out the National Health Service Corps Program, to consult with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs regarding health professional shortage areas that are VA medical facilities.

Date: 2010-02-23
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Retraining a New Health Care Workforce Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and submit to Congress within nine months a strategic plan to retrain displaced workers to become health care professionals serving areas with a shortage of the type professionals involved. Requires the plan to include: (1) an overview of national shortages in health care professions; (2) an assessment of how existing federal health care workforce programs may be used to retrain displaced workers; and (3) recommendations for legislative and administrative changes for making such programs more effective. Requires the Secretary to establish a grant program for states to assist displaced workers to become state-licensed or certified health care professionals serving areas with a shortage of health care professionals.

Date: 2010-03-09
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Healthcare Truth and Transparency Act of 2010 - Prohibits any person from making any deceptive or misleading statement, or engaging in any deceptive or misleading act, that: (1) misrepresents whether such person holds a state health care license; or (2) misrepresents such person's education, training, degree, license, or clinical expertise. Requires any person who is advertising health care services provided by such person to disclose the applicable license under which such person is authorized to provide those services. Deems a violation of this Act to be an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to study and report to Congress on health care professionals' misrepresentations under this Act. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed or have the effect of changing state scope of practice for any health care professional.

Date: 2010-05-13
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Student Veteran Counseling Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a toll-free telephone number to provide mental and behavioral health professionals with information related to the treatment and counseling of a veteran reporting symptoms of: (1) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); (2) traumatic brain injury; (3) anxiety; (4) depression; (5) sexual assault; (6) sexual trauma; (7) readjustment disorder; or (8) other service-connected mental health conditions. Requires that a licensed mental health counselor employed by the VA operate the hotline and provide such information. Directs the Secretary to notify each institution of higher learning of the hotline and provide hotline information on the VA's Internet website. Requires the Secretary to provide mental and behavioral health professionals at each institution of higher learning with training on such information.

Date: 2010-05-25
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Council on Integration of Health Care Education Act of 2010 - Establishes the Council on Integration of Health Care Education in the Office of the Secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop recommendations for the purpose of strengthening the capacity of health care professionals and behavioral health providers to deliver integrated, comprehensive health care. Requires such recommendations to identify: (1) the core competencies to be required of each type of health care professional and behavioral health provider with respect to mental health and substance use prevention and treatment services; and (2) the appropriate methods for incorporating such competencies into the curricula of institutions of higher education and of continuing education, the licensure and certification requirements for health care professionals and behavioral health providers, and the accreditation process for institutions of higher education providing terminal education for health care professionals and behavioral health providers. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or private nonprofit entities for the purpose of implementing the recommendations of the Council on continuing education for health care professionals and behavioral health providers. Requires the Secretary to make grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or nonprofit private institutions of higher education for the purpose of implementing the recommendations of the Council on education curricula for health care professionals and behavioral health providers.

Date: 2010-05-25
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to obligate, for scholarships for individuals who are accepted or enrolled in a course of study or program that leads to a degree in medicine or osteopathic medicine, the greater of : (1) 10% of amounts appropriated for the National Health Service Corps; or (2) the amount necessary to fund such scholarships activities. Amends title XVIIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require nonrural hospitals operating training programs in rural areas to include rural and emergency medicine rotations and obstetrical and pediatric training in such programs for purposes of payments for direct graduate medical education costs.

Date: 2010-07-27
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Chiropractic Membership in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Act of 2010 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make chiropractic personnel eligible for appointment in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Surgeon General to ensure that Doctors of Chiropractic are trained, equipped, and otherwise prepared to fulfill public health and emergency response service responsibilities in the Commissioned Corps. Requires the President to appoint no fewer than six Doctors of Chiropractic into the commissioned Regular Corps and the Ready Reserve Corps. Directs the Surgeon General to submit a quarterly report to the relevant congressional committees on measures taken by the President, Surgeon General, and the Secretary to carry out this Act.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Medicaid Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants Access Act of 2009 [sic] - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the state option to include nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physician assistants as primary care case managers. Specifies as primary care case managers any nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant that provides primary care case management services under a primary care case management contract. Revises the coverage of certain nurse practitioner services under the Medicaid fee-for-service program to remove the specification of certified pediatric nurse practitioner and certified family nurse practitioner in order to extend such coverage to services furnished by a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. Includes nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists in the mix of service providers which Medicaid managed care organizations are required to maintain.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to refinance the private education loans of individuals who are participating in a residency program in: (1) family medicine; (2) obstetrics/gynecology; (3) general internal medicine; (4) gerontology; (5) general pediatrics; or (6) general psychiatry. Sets the interest rate on the refinanced loans at 8.25%. Requires the refinanced loans to have the same terms and conditions as a Direct Consolidation Loan, except they are made ineligible for: (1) consolidation with another loan eligible for consolidation under title IV; (2) income-based repayment terms under title IV; or (3) any loan forgiveness or cancellation under title IV or the Public Health Service Act, except in the case of death or permanent and total disability.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Education
Field EMS Quality, Innovation, and Cost Effectiveness Improvements Act of 2010 - Designates the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as the primary federal agency for field emergency medical services (field EMS). Defines "field EMS" as emergency medical services provided to patients prior to or outside a medical facility or other clinical setting.  Requires the Administrator of NHTSA to develop and implement a cohesive national strategy to strengthen the development of field EMS at the federal, state, and local levels. Directs the Administrator to establish: (1) the EQUIP grant program to promote excellence, quality, universal access, innovation, and preparedness in field EMS;  (2) the SPIA grant program to improve field EMS system performance, integration, and accountability; and (3) national guidelines for medical oversight of field EMS.  Authorizes the Administrator to maintain, improve, and expand the National EMS Information System, including the National EMS Database, to insure that database information is available to federal and state policymakers, EMS stakeholders, and researchers. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to make grants for the development, availability, and dissemination of field EMS education programs and courses for field EMS personnel. Directs the Secretary to: (1) complete an evaluation of alternative delivery models for medical care through field EMS and the integration of field EMS patients with other medical providers and facilities; and (2) conduct or support up to five demonstration projects to evaluate alternative dispositions of field EMS patients (e.g., transporting such patients by ambulance to alternative medical facilities). Amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to include field EMS as a model for testing by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require: (1)  the Director of the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to establish a Field EMS Evidence-Based Practice Center to support research to promote the highest quality of emergency medical care in field EMS and the most effective delivery system for such care; and (2) the HHS Secretary to establish an Emergency Care Coordination Center to promote and fund research, collaboration, and preparedness in emergency medicine and trauma health care. Requires the Administrator to establish and administer a National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council to provide advice and recommendations to federal agencies and a national forum to deliberate on field EMS. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund; and (2) allow taxpayers to designate a portion of any income tax overpayment and make additional contributions to finance such Fund.

Date: 2010-12-16
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Nursing School Clinics Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of nursing school clinic services.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2009 - Amends part D (Miscellaneous) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) require each participating hospital to adopt and implement a staffing system that ensures a number of registered nurses on each shift and in each unit of the hospital to ensure appropriate staffing levels for patient care; (2) provide for the public reporting of certain staffing information, including a daily posting for each shift in the hospital of the current number of licensed and unlicensed nursing staff directly responsible for patient care; (3) prescribe recordkeeping, data collection, and evaluation requirements for participating hospitals; (4) specify civil monetary penalties for violations of such requirements; and (5) provide whistleblower protections.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Psychologists in the Service of the Public Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a psychology postdoctoral program to make grants to and enter into contracts with eligible individuals and institutions to encourage the provision of psychological training and services in underserved treatment areas. Requires individuals to possess a doctoral degree in psychology and to agree to provide services to a medically underserved population during the grant and at least one year thereafter. Requires institutions to use provided amounts for fellowships to such individuals.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Strengthen the Public Health Service Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into an agreement for the establishment and operation of a student loan fund with any public or other nonprofit school that offers a graduate program in professional psychology. Revises provisions concerning the collection of health professions data, sex discrimination in medical education programs, and definitions to make these applicable to "professional" (rather than "clinical") psychologists.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Medicaid Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants Access Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the state option to include nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physician assistants as primary care case managers. Specifies as primary care case managers any nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant that provides primary care case management services under a primary care case management contract. Revises the coverage of certain nurse practitioner services under the Medicaid fee-for-service program to remove the specification of certified pediatric nurse practitioner and certified family nurse practitioner in order to extend such coverage to services furnished by a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. Includes nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists in the mix of service providers which Medicaid managed care organizations are required to maintain.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand training for health professionals in the fields of geriatrics, long-term care, and chronic care management. Requires an analysis of the health and long-term care workforce.Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide for information to adults and dislocated workers about health care and long-term care occupations. Provides for information to veterans about training, internship, and employment opportunities in geriatrics, gerontology, and long-term care. Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to require the Assistant Secretary for Aging to: (1) develop family caregiver training materials; and (2) provide for the establishment and operation of a National Resource Center on Volunteers, Students, and Seniors to promote partnerships between entities in the aging network and institutions of higher education and secondary schools, and to encourage projects that involve underserved communities. Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide for the development of core training competencies for personal or home care aides and additional training content for nurse aides and home health aides; and (2) establish a panel of long-term care workforce experts.Provides for the development of information and referral protocols for family caregivers of Medicare beneficiaries.Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of assessments of family caregiver support needs.Provides for studies on: (1) the mental health workforce; (2) the aging network's capacity to meet current and future needs; (3) retention and tenure of nurse aides and home health aides; and (4) spending by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on conditions and illnesses that disproportionately impact the health of older individuals.

Date: 2009-01-14
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Veterans Health Care Quality Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe standards for appointment and practice as a physician within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires: (1) applicants to provide certain information, including each lawsuit, civil action, or other claim against the individual for medical malpractice or negligence, and their results; (2) each appointee to disclose any judgments against the individual for medical malpractice or negligence and any payments made; and (3) physicians already employed within the VHA to disclose such information. Prohibits a new appointment without approval of the director of the Veterans Integrated Services Network (Network) in which the individual will serve. Directs the Secretary to encourage directors to hire physicians who are board-certified. Requires: (1) the VHA's Under Secretary of Health to designate a National Quality Assurance Officer for the VHA quality assurance program; (2) each Network regional director to appoint a quality assurance officer; and (3) the director of each VHA medical facility to appoint a quality assurance officer. Directs the Secretary to review VA policies for maintaining health care quality and patient safety at VA medical facilities. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to recruit and retain VHA physicians in hard-to-fill positions, to: (1) repay certain educational loans for individuals who agree to serve for at least three years as a VHA physician; (2) reimburse tuition for medical students who agree to serve as a VHA physician after such education; and (3) enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program an individual who agrees to serve as a VHA physician for at least five days per month. Encourages the Secretary to undertake additional incentives to encourage individuals to serve or practice as VHA physicians in hard-to-fill positions.

Date: 2009-01-14
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medicare Respiratory Therapy Initiative Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover the services of a qualified respiratory therapist performed under the general supervision of a physician.

Date: 2009-01-29
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Access for All America Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) increase and extend the authorization of appropriations for community health centers and for the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment program for FY2010-FY2015, and provide for increased funding for such programs in FY2016 and each subsequent fiscal year; and (2) revise and expand provisions allowing a community health center to provide services at different locations, adjust its operating plan and budget, enter into arrangements with other centers to purchase supplies and services at reduced cost, and correct material failures in grant compliance.

Date: 2009-02-26
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Nurse Education, Expansion, and Development Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award a grant to each eligible school of nursing to increase the number of nursing faculty and students. Requires such schools to formulate and implement a plan to accomplish at least two of specified goals, which include: (1) establishing or significantly expanding an accelerated baccalaureate degree nursing program designed to graduate new nurses in 12 to 18 months; (2) establishing cooperative interdisciplinary training between schools of nursing and other specified health related fields; (3) increasing admissions, enrollment, and retention of qualified individuals who are financially disadvantaged; (4) increasing enrollment of minority and diverse student populations; (5) increasing enrollment of new graduate baccalaureate nursing students in graduate programs that educate nurse faculty members; (6) developing post-baccalaureate residency programs to prepare nurses for practice in specialty areas where nursing shortages are more severe; and (7) increasing integration of geriatric content into the core curriculum. Requires the Comptroller General to study ways to increase participation in the nurse faculty profession and to submit a report to Congress that includes: (1) a discussion of the master's degree and doctoral degree programs that are successful in placing graduates as faculty in schools of nursing; and (2) an examination of compensation disparities throughout the nursing profession and between higher education instructional faculty generally and higher education instructional nursing faculty.

Date: 2009-02-26
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Conrad State 30 Improvement Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to make the J-1 visa waiver (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) program permanent. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) revise entry provisions for H-1B visa foreign medical graduates and provide for an increase under specified conditions in the annual per-state cap of 30 foreign doctors; and (2) exempt from worldwide immigration numerical limitations alien physicians who have completed service requirements of a state waiver or exemption, including alien physicians who completed such service before the date of enactment of this Act.

Date: 2009-03-18
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Immigration
Equity and Access for Podiatric Physicians Under Medicaid Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program.

Date: 2009-03-19
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Clinical Social Work Medicare Equity Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude clinical social worker services from coverage under the Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (thus permitting direct payment under the Medicare program for clinical social worker services provided to SNF residents).

Date: 2009-03-24
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Preventive Medicine and Public Health Training Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to or enter into contracts with certain eligible entities to provide training to graduate medical residents in preventive medicine specialties. Requires grant funds to be used for: (1) residency programs for preventive medicine or public health; (2) financial assistance to resident physicians who plan to specialize in preventive medicine or public health; (3) preventive medicine or public health program costs, including curriculum development and practicum costs; and (4) the improvement of academic administrative units.

Date: 2009-03-25
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Health
Rural Veterans Health Care Access and Quality Act of 2009 - Removes the $44,000-per-individual limit on authorized payments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health professionals education debt reduction program. Requires notice to potential employees of their eligibility and selection for participation in such program. Includes VA facilities in the list of medical facilities eligible for the assignment of participants under the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program. Requires the Director of the VA's Office of Rural Health to develop an Office five-year strategic plan. Authorizes the use of volunteer counselors as part of the Vet Center program. Directs the Secretary to carry out a program of teleconsultation for the provision of remote mental health and traumatic brain injury assessments in VA facilities not otherwise able to provide such assessments without contracting out or reimbursing other providers for such services. Requires the Secretary, for each Veterans Integrated Services Network, to negotiate with each party that has contracts to provide services at more than one community-based outpatient clinic in that Network to consolidate such contracts. Directs the Secretary to designate a rural outreach coordinator at each such clinic at which not less than 50% of the veterans enrolled reside in a highly rural area. Provides for peer review of health care services and patient records within the Network. Authorizes reimbursement for veterans' beneficiaries for air travel when it is the only practical way to reach a VA health care facility. Directs the Secretary to carry out a pilot program on incentives for physicians who assume responsibilities of primary care and mental health services to veterans at community hospitals in health professional shortage areas.

Date: 2009-03-30
Topic: Health (Manpower)
Subject: Armed forces and national security