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Creating the House Study Committee on Medicare; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration ranked Georgia 47th in performance among the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in a first-of-its-kind study of how medical treatment standards are followed for Medicare patients; and

WHEREAS, the study used data from medical charts, billing records, and patient surveys from 1997 to 1999 to track how states follow accepted clinical guidelines; and

WHEREAS, other southeastern states also fared poorly in the rankings which studied 22 treatment and prevention measures for heart attack, heart failure, stroke, pneumonia, diabetes, and breast cancer which account for at least 25 percent of the Medicare patients admitted to Georgia hospitals; and

WHEREAS, a thorough investigation of the factors contributing to Georgia´s poor ranking in medical care for the aged is essential to determine the initiatives that will improve the performance of the medical community and ensure quality health care for all Georgians.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that there is created the House Study Committee on Medicare to be composed of five members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any actions or legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution. The members of the committee shall receive the allowances authorized for legislative members of interim legislative committees but shall receive the same for not more than five days unless additional days are authorized. The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from the funds appropriated to the House of Representatives. In the event the committee makes a report of its findings and recommendations, with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, such report shall be made on or before December 1, 2001. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2001.