Sec. 305. Health literacy: research, coordination and dissemination
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Part A of title IX of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 299 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: In this section, the term health literacy means a consumer’s ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health care decisions and the adaptation of services to enhance a consumer’s understanding and navigation of applicable health care services. The Director shall establish within the Agency a program (referred to in this section as the program ) to strengthen health literacy by improving measurement, research, development, and information dissemination.
In carrying out the program, the Director shall— gather health literacy resources from public and private sources and make such resources available to researchers, health care providers, and the general public; identify and fill research gaps relating to health literacy that have direct applicability to— prevention; self-management of chronic disease; quality improvement; the barriers to health literacy; relationships between health literacy and health disparities, particularly with respect to language and cultural competency; and the utilization of information on comparative effectiveness of health treatments; sponsor demonstration and evaluation projects with respect to interventions and tools designed to strengthen health literacy, including projects focused on— the provision of simplified, patient-centered written materials; technology-based communication techniques; consumer navigation services; and the training of health professional providers; give preference to health literacy initiatives that— focus on the particular needs of vulnerable populations such as the elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, children, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with disabilities; and partner with institutions in the community such as schools, libraries, senior centers, literacy groups, recreation centers, early childhood education centers, area health education centers, and public assistance programs; assist appropriate Federal agencies in establishing specific objectives and strategies for carrying out the program, in monitoring the programs of such agencies, and incorporating health literacy into research design, human subjects protections, and informed consent in clinical research; seek to enter into implementation partnerships with organizations and agencies, including other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Office of the Surgeon General, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and the National Committee for Quality Assurance, to promote the adoption of interventions and tools developed under this section, particularly in the training of health professionals; and coordinate with other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services to collect data that monitors national trends in health literacy by including relevant items in surveys such as the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the National Health Interview Survey, and the National Hospital Discharge Survey.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shall annually submit to Congress a report that includes— a comprehensive and detailed description of the operations, activities, financial condition, and accomplishments of the Agency in the field of health literacy; and a description of how plans for the operation of the program for the succeeding fiscal year will facilitate achievement of the goals of the program. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018.
The Director of the Agency shall award grants to eligible entities to facilitate State and community efforts to strengthen health literacy. An entity receiving a grant under this subsection shall use amounts received under such grant to— support efforts to monitor and strengthen health literacy within a State or community; assist public and private efforts in the State or community in coordinating and delivering health literacy services; encourage partnerships among State and local governments, community organizations, non-profit entities, academic institutions, and businesses to coordinate efforts to strengthen health literacy; provide technical and policy assistance to State and local governments and service providers; and monitor and evaluate programs conducted under this grant.
Not later than September 30 of each fiscal year for which a grant is received by an entity under this section, the entity shall submit to the Director a report that describes the programs supported by the grant and the results of monitoring and evaluation of those programs. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this subsection for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018. . The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall seek to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to conduct a study identifying opportunities within the Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen the health literacy of health care providers and health care consumers in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( Public Law 111–148 ).
A contract entered into under paragraph
(1)shall include a provision requiring the Institute of Medicine, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, to submit a report concerning the results of the study conducted under paragraph
(1)to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the appropriate committees of Congress.”.
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- Pub. L. 111-148
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