Index for HR3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act

To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

Mr. Dingell (for himself, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Waxman, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Stark, Mr. Pallone, and Mr. Andrews) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

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

(a) Specification of goals for approved medical residency training programs.—Section 1886(h)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(h)(1)) is amended—

(1) by designating the matter beginning with “Notwithstanding” as a subparagraph (A) with the heading “In general.—” and with appropriate indentation; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

“(B) GOALS AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR APPROVED MEDICAL RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAMS.—The goals of medical residency training programs are to foster a physician workforce so that physicians are trained to be able to do the following:

“(i) Work effectively in various health care delivery settings, such as nonprovider settings.

“(ii) Coordinate patient care within and across settings relevant to their specialties.

“(iii) Understand the relevant cost and value of various diagnostic and treatment options.

“(iv) Work in inter-professional teams and multi-disciplinary team-based models in provider and nonprovider settings to enhance safety and improve quality of patient care.

“(v) Be knowledgeable in methods of identifying systematic errors in health care delivery and in implementing systematic solutions in case of such errors, including experience and participation in continuous quality improvement projects to improve health outcomes of the population the physicians serve.

“(vi) Be meaningful EHR users (as determined under section 1848(o)(2)) in the delivery of care and in improving the quality of the health of the community and the individuals that the hospital serves.”

(b) GAO study on evaluation of training programs.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study to evaluate the extent to which medical residency training programs—

(A) are meeting the goals described in section 1886(h)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act, as added by subsection (a), in a range of residency programs, including primary care and other specialties; and

(B) have the appropriate faculty expertise to teach the topics required to achieve such goals.

(2) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report on such study and shall include in such report recommendations as to how medical residency training programs could be further encouraged to meet such goals through means such as—

(A) development of curriculum requirements; and

(B) assessment of the accreditation processes of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association and effectiveness of those processes in accrediting medical residency programs that meet the goals referred to in paragraph (1)(A).