Governmental AffairsASPAN Governmental Affairs Update March 2002H.R. 3487/S. 1864 "THE NURSE REINVESTMENT
ACT" ·
On
December 20, 2001, both the House of Representatives and the Senate
passed the Nurse Reinvestment Act ·
The
bills differ in some respects but both would authorize loan repayment
programs and scholarships for nursing students, and public service
annoucncements to encourage more people to enter the nursing profession ·
*****Congress
has failed to take action to merge and enact the Nurse Reinvestment
Act---the longer this action is delayed, the more likely the bill will
be lost among other Congressional priorites-----please urge Congress to
make the final push to enact this bill-----NOW
IS THE TIME TO CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMEN!!!***** ·
For a
full summary of the 2 bills and a side by side comparison of the
differences, go to www.nursingworld.org American Nurses Associtation (ANA) 2002 Biennial
Convention ·
June
29-July 2, 2002 ·
Philadelphia,
PA ·
"Nurses
Care For America" ·
www.nursingworld.org
or 800-274-4ANA CRNAs/Physician Supervision ·
On
March 14, Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne (R) told the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that Idaho is opting out of the
requirement that CRNAs be supervised by physicians ·
Idaho
is the 3rd state to take advantage of this provision (Iowa and Nebraska
were the first two) Interstate Nurse Bill ·
Tennessee
has joined this compact--legislation passed both their houses without a
single no vote ·
This
compact, which was created in 1998, was designed by the National Council
of State Boards of Nursing to ease shortages of nurses and make it
easier for states to share information on disciplinary actions ·
Other
states in the compact: NC,
UT, MD, TX, WI, SD, NE, IA, DE, ME, ID, ND, AZ ·
www.knoxnews.com Medical Reserve Corps ·
During
the State of the Union address, President Bush launched USA Freedom
Corps ·
The
goal of the above initiative is to provide opportunites and create
incentives for Americans to become involved in serving their communities
and country through volunteering ·
Specific
to health care providers is the community-based Medical Reserve Corps
(now under development) ·
The
objective of the above is to harness the strength of healthcare
professionals to augment local health care capacity during an emergency ·
This
project is being managed under the auspices of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) ·
The
website for additional info regarding US Freedom Corps is www.usafreedomcorps.gov ·
For
additional info specific to the Medical Reserve Corps, go to www.citizencorps.gov/medical.html ·
www.nursingworld.org ·
LET'S
ROLL! 2000 National Sample Survey of Registered
Nurses ·
HHS
Secretary Tommy Thompson released the final report of this survey ·
The
release was timed with the launch of a campaign to encourage school
children to consider careers in nursing and the health professions ·
The
nursing survey (the most extensive and comprehensive statistical
resource on RNs with current licenses to practice in the US) suggests
that too few young people
are choosing careers in nursing and the average age of RNs has increased
substantially ·
"Kids
Into Health Careers" is the educational campaign designed to
attract more children to careers in nursing and the health professions ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh ·
www.bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/rnsurvey ·
www.bhpr.hrsa.gov/kidscareers/ JCAHO "Speak Up" Program ·
This
program encourages patients to become active, involved, and informed
participants on the health care team ·
These
efforts are supported by the CMS ·
JCAHO
President stated, "Everyone has a role to play in preventing health
care errors. Physicians,
health care executives, nurses, and other health care workers are
already working hard to address this on-going problem.
It is now time for patients themselves to become part of this
effort." ·
Consumers
can download a "Speak Up" brochure that provides specific
guidance to patients to help them make their care safe by visiting the
JCAHO website, www.jcaho.org ·
The
brochure is also available by calling JCAHO's Customer Service Center at
630-792-5800 ·
ANA
President Mary Foley adds, "In addition to encouraging patients to
'speak up,' it is also our hope that Congress will 'speak out' on behalf
of patients and nurses by passing much-needed legislation in this area. It is time for Congress to pass the Nurse Reinvestment Act,
which would offer grants and other funding for educating students and
promoting the profession; the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act, which
would impose restrictions on mandatory overtime; and
the Patient Safety Act, which would require health care
institutions to disclose information on staffing levels, staff mix, and
patient outcomes. It is
only through these and similar government initiatives that we will
achieve true safety and quality-of-care for patients and a safe and
professional work environment for nurses." ·
www.nursingworld.org On The Hill/Appointments ·
John
Sullivan (R-OK) was elected January 8 in a special election to replace
Representative Steve Largent (R-OK) who retired on February 15 to run
for Governor ·
Sullivan
(sworn in as the newest member of the House of Representatives on
February 27) has served in the OK House of Representatives since 1995 ·
The
Senate confirmed on March 15 the nomination of Sally Stroup as Assistant
Secretary for Postsecondary Education at the Department of Education ·
Stroup
is best known for her tenure as the top aide to former House Committee
on Education and the Workforce Chairman William Goodling (R-PA) from
1995-2001 ·
On
March 14, Representative Ernie Fletcher (R-KY) was named to the House
Committee on Energy and Commerce, taking the seat vacated by Steve
Largent (R-OK), who retired in February ·
Dr.
Fletcher (a family practitioner) is 1 of 8 physicians in the House of
Representatives ·
Because
the Energy and Commerce Committee is considered an "exclusive"
committee, Dr. Fletcher is required to give up his seats on the
Agriculture, Budget and Education, and the Workforce committees ·
On
March 26, President Bush announced his intention to nominate Elias
Zerhouni, MD to be Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ·
This
position requires confirmation by the Senate ·
Dr.
Zerhouni currently serves as executive vice dean and chair of the
Department of Radiology and Radiological Science at Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine ·
Also
on March 26, President Bush announced his intention to nominate Richard
Carmona, MD to be Surgeon General ·
This
position also requires confirmation by the Senate ·
Dr.
Carmona is currently clinical professor of Surgery, Public Health, and
Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona, as well as
chairman of the State of Arizona Southern Regional Emergency Medical
System ·
His
background includes: ·
High
School dropout ·
RN ·
Green
Beret in Vietnam ·
Police
Officer and SWAT team member ·
Listed
as one of the nation's "Top Cops" by the National Association
of Police Organizations ·
Physician
of the Year in Pima County, AZ in 1993 ·
On
March 22, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Robert Roswell, MD to
be Under Secretary for Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA), where he will be responsible for overseeing the Veterans Health
Administration ·
Dr.
Roswell has served since 1995 as director of the VA Sunshine Healthcare
Network (VISN 8) which covers FL and Puerto Rico ·
HHS
Secretary Tommy Thompson announced on March 6 that Elizabeth James Duke,
PhD has been appointed to serve as administrator of the Health Resources
and Services Administration (HRSA) ·
Dr.
Duke has been acting administrator of the agency since March 2001 ·
HRSA
(second largest Public Health Service agency) administers the National
Health Service Corps, the Title VII and VIII health professions
programs, the Community Health Centers, and the Ryan White AIDS programs ·
On
March 22, Tommy Thompson appointed Carolyn Clancy, MD as acting director
of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) ·
Since
1997, Dr. Clancy has directed AHRQ's Center for Outcomes and
Effectiveness Research (COER), which conducts and supports studies of
the outcomes and effectiveness of diagnostic, therapeutic, and
preventive health care services and procedures ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh ·
John
Combes, MD and a physician executive for both American Hospital
Association (AHA) and the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of PA,
has been selected to serve on the Steering Committee of the Patient
Safety Research Coordinating Center (PSRCC) ·
PSRCC
selected 13 members to the committee from a nomination list of 32--3
of them are nurses
·
The
new steering committee members are: ·
Nancy
Donaldson, RN (University of California-San Francisco) ·
Christine
Kovner, RN (New York University) ·
Pamela
Mitchell, RN (University of Washington) ·
Andrew
Brown, MD (University of Mississippi Medical Center) ·
Pascale
Carayon (University of Wisconsin-Madison) ·
Victoria
Fraser, MD (Washington University School of Medicine) ·
Harold
Kaplan, MD (Columbia University) ·
Kate
Lapane (Brown University) ·
Richard
Lilford (University of Birmingham, UK) ·
Joseph
Ouslander, MD (Wesley Woods Center of Emory University) ·
Richard
Platt, MD (Harvard Medical School) ·
Nancy
Ridley (Massachusetts Department of Public Health) ·
Eric
Thomas, MD (University of Texas-Houston Medical School) ·
www.ahanews.com Bush Administration Proposes Cuts To
Medicare Payments To Hospitals ·
The
Bush administration has recommended reducing hospital payments below
market-basket levels in order to help the government keep the Medicare
program budget-neutral while it increases payments to doctors ·
HHS
Secretary Tommy Thompson and Office of Management and Budget Director
Mitchell Daniels wrote in a letter to the House Ways and Means
Committee, "Reasonable and modest limits on hospital market basket
updates would appear to provide adequate reimbursement for
hospitals." ·
www.ahanews.com Bush Seeks To Revise Patient Privacy ·
Doctors
and hospitals could disclose private information about patients and
provide medical services without prior consent under proposed Bush
administration revisions to Clinton-era patient privacy rules ·
The
changes would also give parents greater access to their children's
medical records, including information about abortions, drug treatment,
and other sensitive services ·
The
changes are scheduled to take effect in April 2003--they would continue
the status quo because consent forms are not now required but would have
been under the Clinton administration version being revised ·
The
rules prohibit health care providers from disclosing patient information
for reasons unrelated to health services and establish civil and
criminal penalties for violators--they give patients the right to
inspect and copy their records and to ask for corrections ·
Health
care providers welcomed many of the changes, including scrapping of
consent forms ·
Privacy
advocates were unhappy about the consent forms and the elimination of
some privacy rights for minors, including teenagers who may seek
abortions, drug treatment, or other medical care ·
Both
the Clinton and the Bush versions of the privacy rule allow minors to
keep privacy rights if specified under state law--absent at state law,
both would allow doctors to disclose information to parents ·
The
regulations clarify that personal information cannot be sold or given
drug companies or others that want to market a product or service
without patient permission ·
The
revised rules are subject to a 30-day public comment period before
becoming final ·
www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres ·
www.nurses.com Bills/Resolutions Updates The
Senate Shays-Meehan-McCain-Feingold Bill Has PASSED ·
This
campaign finance reform bill passed 60 yeas to 40 neas ·
Carolyn
Jefferson-Jenkins, President of the League of Women Voters of the US,
stated, " The League calls on President Bush to sign this bill and
hand the reins of our political system back to its rightful owners-the
American voters." ·
www.lwv.org President
Submits $27 Billion Supplemental Appropriations Bill ·
On
March 21 President Bush submitted to Congress his proposal for $27
billion in emergency supplemental FY 2002 spending ·
The
request contains significant funding for the war on terror ($14
billion), homeland security ($5.2 billion), international assistance and
embassy protection ($1.7billion), economic recovery and assistance to
dislocated workers ($750 million), and assistance to New York ($5.5
billion) ·
The
request also includes $240 million in non-emergency spending that is
offset by recissions in other programs ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh House
Panel Approves FY 2003 Spending Plan ·
Following
the President's lead, the House Budget Committee on March 13 passed an
FY 2003 budget resolution that focuses heavily on defense and homeland
security and provides a less than inflation increase for domestic
discretionary programs ·
The
budget doubles funding for homeland security to $38 billion, including
$5.9 billion to counter bioterrorism ·
The
budget has only a $2.6 billion increase in overall discretionary health
spending ·
The
budget includes a reserve fund for Medicare reform and prescription
drugs that provides $5 billion in FY 2003 and $350 billion over 10 years ·
The
committee rejected a number of amendments by Democrats, including
proposals to increase funding for education and prescription drugs ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh H.R.
3966 "Genomic Science and Technology Innovation Act of 2002" Sponsor:
Representative Lynn Rivers (D-MI) Introduced:
3-14-02 Latest
Major Action: On
3-14-02 referred to House Science Committee and House Judiciary
Committee ·
This
bill would require the White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy to conduct a study on the impact of federal policies, including
intellectual property policies, on the innovation process for genomic
technologies ·
There
is no companion bill in the Senate ·
www.thomas.loc.gov ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh H.R.
3967 "Genomic Research and Diagnostic Accessibility Act of
2002" Sponsor:
Representative Lynn Rivers (D-MI) Introduced:
3-14-02 Latest
Major Action: Referred
to the House Judiciary Committee ·
This
bill would permit scientists to use patented genetic sequence
information for
non-commercial research and permit physicians to perform genetic
diagnostic and other testing without infringing on a gene patient ·
Would
require public disclosure of genomic sequence information contained
within a patent application when federal funds were used in the
development of the invention ·
There
is no companion bill in the Senate ·
www.thomas.loc.gov ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh H.CON.RES.
353 "Establishing the congressional budget for the United States
Government for fiscal year 2003 and setting forth appropriate budgetary
levels for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2007" Sponsor:
Representative Jim Nussle Introduced:
3-15-02 Latest
Major Action: On
3-21-02 received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the
Budget ·
The
House passed this budget resolution by a largely
party line vote of 221 to 209 ·
The
Senate Budget Committee approved its version of the budget on March 21 ·
During
deliberations on the budget March 21, the Senate Committee adopted by
voice vote an amendment by Senators Hiliary Clinton (D-NY) and Tim
Johnson (D-ND) that provides a "Sense of the Senate" that the
Congress should "Provide sufficient resources to ensure beneficiary
access to high-quality health services provided by home health agencies,
skilled nursing facilities, physicians, and hospitals, including rural,
teaching, community, and safety net hospitals that serve communities
across the nation." ·
The
amendment's findings specifically note the inadequate reimbursements and
severe capacity strains on teaching hospitals ·
www.thomas.loc.gov ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh S. 1976
"National Cancer Act of 2002" Sponsor:
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Introduced:
2-28-02 Latest
Major Action: On
2-28-02 read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions ·
Senator
Feinstein introduced this legislation to create what she describes as
"a new comprehensive national battle plan to modernize and
re-energize the nation's war on cancer" ·
This
bill is cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 29 other senators ·
It
would update the National Cancer Act of 1971 and would: ·
Authorize
increased funding for the National Cancer Institute through FY 2007 ·
Provide
$100 million a year for 5 years in grants and other incentives for
translational cancer research ·
Authorize
a loan repayment program for health professionals who spend at least 3
years doing cancer research and increase postdoctoral salaries over 5
years beyond the current salary level of $28,000 ·
Provide
tax and marketing incentives to encourage pharmaceutical companies to
produce "orphan drugs," or drugs targeted to small patient
populations ·
Require
meaningful regulation of the content of tobacco products by the FDA and
their marketing to children ·
Require
all insurers to pay for cancer screenings, smoking cessation,
nutritional counseling, and genetic testing (among people with
demonstrated risk) ·
Provide
$250 million for the CDC's Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program
for low-income women ·
Provide
$50 million to create a demonstration program to expand the CDS's
program to include screening for colorectal cancer ·
www.thomas.loc.gov ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh H.R.
3882 "Preserving Patient Access to Physicians Act of 2002" Sponsor:
Representative Nancy Johnson (R-Connecticut) Introduced:
3-6-02 Latest
Major Action: On
3-6-02 referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Ways
and Means Committee ·
Representative
Johnson is the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman ·
This
bill would reform the system used to calculate the Medicare physician
payment update ·
It
would repeal the current sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology and
replace it with a formula that bases the update on estimated changes in
input prices for the coming year, less an adjustment for growth in
multifactor productivity ·
It
directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to evaluate
(by specialty) the impact of refinements to the practice expense
component of physician payments ·
Last
fall, the Senate and House introduced bills (S. 1707/H.R. 3351) that
would reduce the 2002 cut from minus 5.4% to minus 0.9% and require
MedPAC to develop a replacement for the SGR--both bills have significant
support (73 cosponsors in the Senate and 331 in the House) ·
www.thomas.loc.gov ·
www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh
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