[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4127 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4127

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to hospitals 
for measurement-based strategies to improve the quality and efficiency 
                            of health care.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 2, 2004

  Mr. Kind (for himself and Mr. Upton) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to hospitals 
for measurement-based strategies to improve the quality and efficiency 
                            of health care.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Efficiency and Quality in 
Hospitals Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The goals of the Institute of Medicine, as expressed in 
        its report entitled ``Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health 
        System for the 21st Century'', are to increase quality and 
        efficiency in hospitals and health care systems.
            (2) Approaches such as Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, and 
        Failure Mode and Effect Analysis have succeeded in reducing 
        errors, cutting costs, and improving services.

SEC. 3. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR IMPROVING QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY AT 
              HOSPITALS.

    Part A of title IX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 904. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR IMPROVING QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY 
              AT HOSPITALS.

    ``(a) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Director, may make 
grants to hospitals for developing and implementing measurement-based 
strategies to improve the quality and efficiency of health care.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--The Secretary may not make a grant to a 
hospital under this section unless the hospital agrees to use the 
grant, with respect to health care at the hospital, to improve the 
following:
            ``(1) Safety.
            ``(2) Injury avoidance.
            ``(3) Effectiveness of services, based on scientific 
        knowledge and focusing on patients.
            ``(4) Timeliness.
            ``(5) Efficiency.
            ``(6) Equitable distribution of services.
    ``(c) Distribution.--The Secretary shall make grants under this 
section to urban hospitals, non-urban hospitals, teaching hospitals, 
and hospitals with fewer than 50 acute care beds.
    ``(d) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall conduct an assessment of 
the results of grants under this section and submit to the Congress a 
report on the findings and conclusions of the assessment.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2007.''.
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