PRINTER'S NO. 1000
No. 863 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY KASUNIC, MAY 11, 2001
REFERRED TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE, MAY 11, 2001
AN ACT
1 Establishing a pilot program creating a pulmonary disease
2 center; and making an appropriation.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pulmonary
7 Disease Center Act.
8 Section 2. Legislative findings.
9 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
10 (1) Medical diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary disease
11 patients have shown lack of proper disease management
12 education, diagnostic screening and rehabilitation follow-up
13 which have had numerous detrimental effects on patient care
14 and wellness.
15 (2) Increased length of hospitalization, development of
16 new medical conditions and increased severity of initial
17 medical conditions have resulted from poor pulmonary
1 diagnostics.
2 (3) Heavy financial burdens have resulted due to
3 improper patient management.
4 (4) Present utilization of in-hospital pulmonary
5 diagnostics has not allowed for adequate teaching,
6 utilization of equipment or rehabilitation.
7 Section 3. Legislative intent.
8 It is the intent of the General Assembly to establish a pilot
9 program in a region lacking a successful pulmonary disease
10 management program creating a pulmonary disease center which
11 will present a more favorable environment for pulmonary health
12 diagnostics and education of the acute and chronically ill as
13 well as their families and caregivers.
14 Section 4. Definitions.
15 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
16 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
17 context clearly indicates otherwise:
18 "Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
19 "Master Settlement Agreement." The settlement agreement and
20 related documents entered into on November 23, 1998, by the
21 Commonwealth and leading United States tobacco product
22 manufacturers and approved by the court in Commonwealth v.
23 Philip Morris, April Term 1997, No. 2443 (C.P. Philadelphia
24 County), on January 13, 1999.
25 Section 5. Pulmonary disease center pilot program.
26 (a) Implementation.--The department shall implement a pilot
27 program creating a pulmonary disease center in Fayette County.
28 (b) Objectives.--The department shall consider the following
29 objectives in creating the pulmonary disease center:
30 (1) Improvement of patient diagnostics and treatment
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1 through:
2 (i) Easy access and scheduling.
3 (ii) Increased availability of medical and therapy
4 programs including:
5 (A) Onsite education programs.
6 (B) Serial diagnostic testing.
7 (C) Intervention for on-call patients to discuss
8 acute condition.
9 (D) Pulmonary rehabilitation.
10 (E) Utilization of newest equipment.
11 (2) Improvement of utilization through:
12 (i) Physician marketing and referrals.
13 (ii) Physician awareness of available diagnostics
14 and need for aggressive testing of patients.
15 (iii) Marketing services to community education,
16 school and work groups.
17 (iv) Management of patients that require education
18 and testing to stabilize condition.
19 (v) Management of indigent patients that have become
20 a financial burden to a hospital or this Commonwealth.
21 Section 6. Appropriation.
22 The sum of $10,000,000, or as much thereof as may be
23 necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of Health
24 from the moneys received by the Commonwealth from the Master
25 Settlement Agreement for the fiscal year July 1, 2001, to June
26 30, 2002, to carry out the provisions of this act.
27 Section 7. Effective date.
28 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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