Patient Safety Act of 1998

Summary

Patient Safety Act of 1998 - Requires providers under the Medicare program, as a condition for continued participation in the program, to make publicly available certain minimum information, in addition to information specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, regarding nurse staffing and patient outcomes. Requires the following to be made public along with their source and currency status: (1) data regarding complaints filed with the State agency with oversight over health care services, the Health Care Financing Administration, or a provider accrediting agency; (2) compliance with the standards deemed to demonstrate compliance with conditions of Medicare participation; and (3) data regarding investigations and findings as a result of those complaints and the findings of scheduled inspection visits. Allows the Secretary to waive or reduce reporting requirements in the case of a small provider for whom their imposition would be unduly burdensome. Prohibits Medicare providers from terminating or taking any other adverse action against any employee or groups of employees for certain actions, including those taken for the purpose of notifying the provider of conditions potentially dangerous or injurious to patients receiving services from the provider or to employees of the provider. Requires provider termination from participation in Medicare for taking such an adverse action. Requires any provider under Medicare that files with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission notification of a transaction required to be reported under the Clayton Act to provide to the Secretary a report that includes: (1) the overall impact of such transaction on the health services available and readily accessible to the community; and (2) the impact of such transaction on each of various specified subjects, including the availability and accessibility of services to the poor, the uninsured, ethnic minorities, women, the disabled, and the lesbian and gay communities. Requires public availability of such reports, public hearings on their elements and any other factors related to the health, safety, and welfare of patients and the community involved, secretarial review of each such proposed transaction based on the report, hearing testimony, and any other relevant factors. Deems any provider that executes a transaction found to have a negative impact on health and safety (or that fails to file a required report) not to be in compliance with the conditions of Medicare participation. Mandates the provider's immediate suspension from program participation if it completes a transaction that poses immediate jeopardy or irreparable harm to patient health, safety, or welfare.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 8 May 1998

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 8 May 1998

   Introduced

   Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4559-4560)

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 8 May 1998

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 8 May 1998 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 8 May 1998

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 8 May 1998

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 8 May 1998

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV] · D · Sponsor
• · ssfi00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → Patient Safety Act of 1997