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S 1133 111th Congress Senate Health Administrative law and regulatory procedures Advisory bodies Department of Health and Human Services Government trust funds Health care quality Health information and medical records Health programs administration and funding Medicare Public contracts and procurement

Empowering Medicare Patient Choices Act

Introduced: May 21, 2009 Introduced by: Wyden, Ron Democratic · Oregon See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 21, 2009
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5836-5840)
May 21, 2009
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5836)
May 21, 2009
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Empowering Medicare Patient Choices Act - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) have a contract with an entity to establish standards to certify patient decision aides and to conduct its business in an open and transparent manner and provide the opportunity for public comment on its activities; and (2) establish an expert panel to make recommendations to the Secretary regarding which patient decision aids should be implemented, appropriate training for health care providers on patient decision aids and shared decision making, and appropriate quality measures for use in the pilot program established below.

Amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare) to require the Secretary's contract with a consensus-based entity to ensure that priority is given in making recommendations to measures that address certain medical conditions and regional practice variations under Medicare.

Directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program to provide for the phased-in development, implementation, and evaluation of shared decision making under the Medicare program using patient decision aids to meet the objective of improving the understanding by Medicare beneficiaries of their medical treatment options, as compared to comparable Medicare beneficiaries who do not participate in a shared decision making process using patient decision aids.

Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance for the establishment and support of Shared Decision Making Resource Centers to provide technical assistance to eligible providers and to develop and disseminate best practices and other information to support adoption, implementation, and effective use of patient decision aids and shared decision making by eligible providers under the Medicare program.

Specifies the medical conditions for the patient decision aids approved under this Act.

Directs that any savings resulting from implementation of the pilot project be: (1) used to provide bonus payments to eligible providers participating in the pilot program who achieve high quality shared decision making; (2) placed in a Shared Decision Making Trust Fund; and (3) retained by the Medicare program.

Amends SSA title XVIII to require the Secretary to promulgate regulations that: (1) specify for which preference-sensitive conditions beneficiaries should participate in shared decision making; (2) require providers of services and suppliers to make sure that beneficiaries receive patient decision aids as appropriate; and (3) specify a process for beneficiaries to elect not to use such patient decision aids.

Prescribes a penalty for not using shared decision making.

What's happening now May 21, 2009

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5836-5840)

 Committees of jurisdiction 1