[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 95 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 95

Increasing awareness of and recognizing the life-saving role of ostomy 
  care and prosthetics in the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of 
                      people in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 8, 2011

Mr. Burr submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Increasing awareness of and recognizing the life-saving role of ostomy 
  care and prosthetics in the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of 
                      people in the United States.

Whereas over 700,000 individuals in the United States, from young children to 
        senior citizens, have an ostomy, a surgical procedure that creates an 
        artificial opening from the abdomen to the intestines or urinary system 
        to allow for the elimination of bodily wastes;
Whereas active duty military personnel who are wounded in battle often receive 
        an ostomy as a result of penetrating colorectal injuries;
Whereas an ostomy procedure can be essential to many patients who suffer on a 
        daily basis from serious, chronic, or life-threatening traumatic injury 
        to the abdomen, or other illnesses and conditions, such as colorectal or 
        bladder cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, birth defects, or 
        other intestinal or urinary medical conditions;
Whereas following ostomy surgery, patients may need specially fitted medical 
        products to manage intestinal or urinary system function, temporarily or 
        permanently restore intestinal or urinary system function, or re-
        establish activities of daily living, and improve quality of life;
Whereas ostomy products are prosthetic devices prescribed by health care 
        providers, and ostomy products are prosthetic devices, as defined in 
        section 1861(s)(8) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(s)(8));
Whereas policy and reimbursement approaches to ostomy products may affect access 
        for patients in need;
Whereas ostomy products are customized to the clinical needs of individual 
        patients and are not the same as other easily interchangeable medical 
        supplies, such as gauze or bandages;
Whereas ostomy care and prosthetics can be important to restoring function and 
        improving quality of life for patients in need of this care;
Whereas ongoing advances and innovation in ostomy prosthetics' technology can 
        dramatically improve the lives of individuals who undergo ostomy surgery 
        by helping to normalize the intestinal or urinary system function of 
        such individuals, improve physical well-being, and often enable the 
        individual to rejoin the workforce; and
Whereas Congress recognizes the importance of encouraging and facilitating the 
        development and use of new medical technologies: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the life-saving role of ostomy care and 
        prosthetics in the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of 
        people in the United States;
            (2) recognizes that if a surgical procedure results in a 
        patient needing a prosthetic that manages or restores 
        intestinal or urinary system function, specifically the control 
        of the elimination of the body's waste products, it is 
        important for such patient to have access to the care that will 
        best meet the patient's needs; and
            (3) encourages innovation of, and access to, medical 
        devices that restore or improve intestinal or urinary system 
        function of people in the United States with an ostomy.
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