Sec. 411. Amendment to the Public Health Service Act
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Public Health Service Act Title XXXIV of the Public Health Service Act , as amended by titles I, II, III, and IX of this Act, is further amended by inserting after subtitle C the following: The Secretary, in collaboration with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shall award grants to eligible entities for the conduct of demonstration projects to improve the quality of and access to health care.
To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), an entity shall— be a health center, hospital, health plan, health system, community clinic. or other health entity determined appropriate by the Secretary— that, by legal mandate or explicitly adopted mission, provides patients with access to services regardless of their ability to pay; that provides care or treatment for a substantial number of patients who are uninsured, are receiving assistance under a State program under title XIX of the Social Security Act , or are members of vulnerable populations, as determined by the Secretary; and with respect to which, not less than 50 percent of the entity’s patient population is made up of racial and ethnic minorities; or that— serves a disproportionate percentage of local, minority racial and ethnic patients, or that has a patient population, at least 50 percent of which is limited-English-proficient; and provides an assurance that amounts received under the grant will be used only to support quality improvement activities in the racial and ethnic population served; and prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
In awarding grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to applicants under subsection (b)(2) that— demonstrate an intent to operate as part of a health care partnership, network, collaborative, coalition, or alliance where each member entity contributes to the design, implementation, and evaluation of the proposed intervention; or intend to use funds to carry out systemwide changes with respect to health care quality improvement, including— improved systems for data collection and reporting; innovative collaborative or similar processes; group programs with behavioral or self-management interventions; case management services; physician or patient reminder systems; educational interventions; or other activities determined appropriate by the Secretary.
An entity shall use amounts received under a grant under subsection
(a)to support the implementation and evaluation of health care quality improvement activities or minority health and health care disparity reduction activities that include— with respect to health care systems, activities relating to improving— patient safety; timeliness of care; effectiveness of care; efficiency of care; patient centeredness; and health information technology; and with respect to patients, activities relating to— staying healthy; getting well, mentally and physically; living effectively with illness or disability; and coping with end-of-life issues. The Secretary shall provide financial and other technical assistance to grantees under this section for the development of common data systems. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020. The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall designate centers of excellence at public hospitals, and other health systems serving large numbers of minority patients, that— meet the requirements of section 3451(b)(1); demonstrate excellence in providing care to minority populations; and demonstrate excellence in reducing disparities in health and health care. A hospital or health system that serves as a center of excellence under subsection
(a)shall— design, implement, and evaluate programs and policies relating to the delivery of care in racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse populations; provide training and technical assistance to other hospitals and health systems relating to the provision of quality health care to minority populations; and develop activities for graduate or continuing medical education that institutionalize a focus on cultural competence training for health care providers. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020. The Secretary shall provide direct financial assistance to designated health care providers and community health centers in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii for the purposes of reconstructing and improving health care facilities and services in a culturally competent and sustainable manner. To be eligible to receive direct financial assistance under subsection (a), an entity shall be a public health facility or community health center located in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, or Hawaii that— is owned or operated by— the Government of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, or Hawaii or a unit of local government; or a nonprofit organization; and provides care or treatment for a substantial number of patients who are uninsured, receiving assistance under a State program under a title XVIII of the Social Security Act , or a State program under title XIX of such Act, or who are members of a vulnerable population, as determined by the Secretary; or serves a disproportionate percentage of local, minority racial and ethnic patients. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this title and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress and the President a report that includes an assessment of health resources and facilities serving populations in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. In preparing such report, the Secretary shall— consult with and obtain information on all health care facilities needs from the entities described in subsection (b); include all amounts of Federal assistance received by each entity in the preceding fiscal year; review the total unmet needs of each jurisdiction for health care facilities, including needs for renovation and expansion of existing facilities; include a strategic plan for addressing the needs of each jurisdiction identified in the report; and evaluate the effectiveness of the care provided by measuring patient outcomes and cost measures. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as necessary to carry out this section. .