sr664_Sen_ctee_sub_LC_36_1456S_4.html
09 LC 36 1456S

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee offered the following substitute to SR 664:

A RESOLUTION

Acknowledging the importance of a comprehensive approach to providing patient centered care and creating the Senate Study Committee on the Patient Centered Medical Home; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, medical homes will provide patient centered care that is accessible, continuous, and coordinated with a focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle for patients with preventive and ongoing health services; and

WHEREAS, the primary care provided at medical homes would be respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs, and values; and

WHEREAS, physicians practicing in medical homes would target eligible individuals for program participation and be responsible for providing safe and secure technology to promote patient access to personal health information, developing a health assessment tool for the targeted individuals, and providing training for personnel involved in the coordination of care; and

WHEREAS, personal physicians in medical homes would be eligible for case management fees and incentive payments for providing "medical home" services; and

WHEREAS, personal physicians who provide first contact and continuous care for their patients shall be board certified and must have a staff and the resources to manage the comprehensive and coordinated care of each of their patients; and

WHEREAS, participating physicians may be specialists or subspecialists for patients requiring ongoing care for specific conditions, multiple chronic conditions, or for those with a prolonged illness; and

WHEREAS, personal physicians would be responsible for providing ongoing support, oversight, and guidance to implement an integrated, coherent, cross-discipline plan of care developed in partnership with patients and any of their other medical providers; and

WHEREAS, physicians in medical homes would be required to use evidence based medicine and clinical decision support tools to guide their decision making to patient-specific symptoms; and

WHEREAS, the use of health information technology would be required of physicians in medical homes, and patients would be encouraged to engage in management of their own health through education and support systems; and

WHEREAS, the evaluation of the patient centered medical home would be based on patient satisfaction, provider satisfaction, clinical process and outcome measures, program costs and savings, and economic impact on health care providers; and

WHEREAS, evaluation would be on the extent to which the medical home coordinated health care services, provided safe and high-quality care, encouraged long-term patient and provider relationships, engaged and educated consumers, and encouraged innovation in payment methodologies.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that there is created the Senate Study Committee on the Patient Centered Medical Home to be composed of seven members to be appointed by the President of the Senate. Three shall be members of the Senate and four shall be members of the public who shall include one member of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, one member from the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, one member from the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Physicians, and one member from the Georgia Osteopathic Medical Association. The President of the Senate shall designate the Chairperson of the Senate Health and Human Services 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 the availability and affordability of orally administered and intravenously and injected medications used to treat cancer and recommend any action 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 provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for 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 Senate. 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 31, 2009. The committee shall stand abolished on December 31, 2009.