[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1577 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1577

 To create a Department of Defense-wide program of patient navigators 
                for wounded members of the Armed Forces.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2007

Mr. Shays (for himself, Mr. Buchanan, and Mr. Bilirakis) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To create a Department of Defense-wide program of patient navigators 
                for wounded members of the Armed Forces.

    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 ``Wounded Warriors Joint Health Care 
Patient Navigators Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE-WIDE PATIENT NAVIGATOR 
              PROGRAM FOR WOUNDED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a 
Department of Defense-wide patient navigator program and assign the 
responsibility for overseeing the program to the Assistant Secretary of 
Defense for Health Affairs.
    (b) Function.--Under the program, patient navigators shall be 
assigned as representatives to medical holdover patients and their 
families in order to improve health care outcomes.
    (c) Qualifications of Patient Navigators.--To qualify as a patient 
navigator, a person shall successfully undergo extensive and regular 
training on all medical and administrative processes within the medical 
holdover system of the Department of Defense and specifically within 
the military installation to which the navigator is assigned. A person 
acting as a patient navigator may not be a member of the Armed Forces 
or an employee of the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense 
shall enter into contracts to acquire the services of patient 
navigators.
    (d) Number of Patient Navigators.--Under the program, there shall 
be a standard number of patient navigators at any military medical 
treatment facility or other medical retention facility, with the ratio 
of navigators to patients no higher than 1 to 10.
    (e) Authorities of Patient Navigators.--Under the program, the 
Secretary of Defense shall ensure that patient navigators--
            (1) are allowed scheduled daily access to senior decision-
        making personnel and offices within the facility or military 
        installation to which assigned;
            (2) are informed of all corrective actions taken on behalf 
        of the patients they represent in a timely, standardized 
        manner; and
            (3) are allowed access to patient medical scheduling 
        information and allowed to assist in scheduling appointments in 
        a timely fashion.
    (f) Responsibilities of Patient Navigators.--Under the program, 
each patient navigator shall--
            (1) report in writing daily to the commander or director of 
        the facility or military installation to which the navigator is 
        assigned all patient and family concerns, issues, and 
        complaints; and
            (2) keep confidential all files, and have contracts with 
        each patient acknowledging privacy and other patient concerns 
        about the role of the navigator.
    (g) Medical Holdover Patient.--In this Act, the term ``medical 
holdover patient'' means a member of the Armed Forces, including a 
member of the National Guard or other reserve component, who is 
undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise 
in medical hold or holdover status, for an injury, illness, or disease 
incurred or aggravated while on active duty in the Armed Forces.
    (h) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007, 2008, and 2009.
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