[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 8, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1411-S1413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 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

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

                               S. Res. 95

       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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