article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Blueprint for Health Act of 2009''. (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Purpose. Sec. 3. Establishment of a Blueprint for Health for disease prevention, health promotion, and education about and better management of chronic conditions. Sec. 4. Strategic plan. Sec. 5. Chronic care management programs. Sec. 6. Incentives for prevention of chronic disease. Sec. 7. Health information technology. Sec. 8. Recommendations to Congress; annual report. SEC. 2. PURPOSE. It is the purpose of this Act to establish a Blueprint for Health which is designed-- (1) to create a national integrated medical home model of care that enhances primary care, encourages multidisciplinary coordination, and promotes disease prevention, health promotion, and education about and better management of chronic conditions; (2) to increase Americans' access to affordable, appropriate, high quality care through the use of the integrated medical home model; and (3) to reduce costs to the United States health care system through the application of such model. SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A BLUEPRINT FOR HEALTH FOR DISEASE PREVENTION, HEALTH PROMOTION, AND EDUCATION ABOUT AND BETTER MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC CONDITIONS. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall create consistent with this Act a program (in this Act referred to as the ``Blueprint for Health'') that provides a national infrastructure for disease prevention, health promotion, and education about and better management of chronic conditions through the use of a nationwide integrated medical home model of care (in this Act referred to as the ``integrated medical home model of care'') in a manner that is designed to initiate, coordinate, and evaluate measures for promoting health and preventing disease in the United States. (b) Elements of Blueprint.--The Blueprint for Health shall include the following elements: (1) Strategic plan.--A strategic plan described in section 4 for designing the integrated medical home model of care. (2) Chronic care management programs.--Chronic care management programs described in section 5. (3) Prevention incentives.--Incentives for the prevention of chronic disease described in section 6. (4) Assessment of hit initiatives.--A plan described in section 7 for the assessment of current health information technology initiatives. (c) Executive Committee.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall convene an executive committee to advise the Secretary on the creation and implementation of the Blueprint for Health. (2) Composition.--The executive committee shall include representation from national and State medical, hospital, and pharmaceutical associations, consumer and patient advocacy groups, labor groups, employer and other purchasing groups, and the health insurance industry. SEC. 4. STRATEGIC PLAN. The Blueprint for Health shall include a strategic plan for designing the integrated medical home model of care that includes the following: (1) Recommended elements of an integrated coordinated chronic care management model that incorporates the following: (A) Medical practices acting as medical homes in being primary caregivers in close coordination with other elements. The elements for such homes may be based on guidelines developed for such homes by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. (B) Early disease detection and risk stratification. (C) Community care teams that provide care support for medical homes and assist in coordinating care among medical homes, hospitals, prevention programs, multidisciplinary specialists, and others. (2) A plan for the formation of such community care teams that may include panel managers, public health prevention specialists, nurse coordinators, social workers, dieticians, community health workers, care coordinators, behavioral health specialists, and other patient support personnel. (3) Incentives for patient self management, community-based initiatives, and system and information technology reforms, intended for use by all providers and health plans, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal employees health benefits program, and other Federal programs. (4) A description of recommended prevention programs and a strategy for integrating them into the integrated medical home model of care. (5) A plan to ensure that chronically ill patients have a low level of cost sharing under the integrated medical home model of care. (6) Alignment of health care information technology initiatives with information technology needs. (7) Development and use of outcome and reporting measures designed to track the progress of patients meeting clinically recommended treatment goals. (8) A strategy for ensuring the broad support of the integrated medical home model of care by health insurers, hospitals, and health care professionals, including specialists and other physicians. (9) Recommendations for better integrating specialty care services into primary care practices to ensure care coordination and the use of best practices. (10) Recommendations for the consultation of providers experienced with the development and implementation of an integrated medical home model of care as this Act's care coordination model is developed. (11) A strategy for standardizing outcome and financial measures to ensure consistency among all health plans, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal employees health benefits program, and other Federal programs. SEC. 5. CHRONIC CARE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. The Secretary shall include in the Blueprint for Health chronic care management programs which provide for at least the following: (1) Methods for identifying and enrolling chronically ill patients and for encouraging primary care physicians, specialists, hospitals, and others to participate in such programs. (2) Development of health risk appraisal or assessment for individuals enrolled under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Federal employees health benefits program. (3) A process for coordinating care among health professionals including multidisciplinary care teams and specialty care providers. (4) Methods for increasing communication among health care professionals and patients, including patient education, self- management, and follow up plans. (5) Process and outcome measures to provide performance feedback for health care professionals and information on the quality of care. (6) Payment methodologies to create financial incentives for patient participation and to allow primary care physicians to meet specific standards of a medical home program. Such financial incentives shall include-- (A) enhanced payment to medical practices, such as a per member per month fee, based on standards for a medical home, such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance standards for a patient centered medical home; (B) payment for care support services, such as community care teams or other applicable approaches, across all insurers, including multi-payer private plans and Medicare, Medicaid, and other public plans; and (C) the support of a community based savings sharing and reinvestment model, such as an accountable care organization, which incorporates a balanced set of financial and quality incentives, such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Triple Aims. SEC. 6. INCENTIVES FOR PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASE. (a) In General.--The Secretary shall include in the Blueprint for Health a plan to provide incentives to prevent chronic diseases, including investments in healthy and sustainable local and regional food systems as well as the broader use of lifestyle changes, such as through diet, exercise, and smoking cessation in the schools, communities, and workplace. (b) Compilation of Effective Practices.--Based on recommendations set forth by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, the Secretary shall compile a list of effective practices that would serve as a basis for establishing programs to prevent chronic disease and that could be included in the Blueprint for Health. (c) Recommendations.--The plan under subsection (a) may include the following: (1) Grant opportunities and Federal tax credits for localities to conduct community assessment, intervention, and activation plans in which public health data are collected and analyzed to identify areas in greatest need of prevention and wellness programs. (2) Federal tax credits and incentive grants to local education agencies, businesses, local departments of public health, communities, hospitals, health care providers, and other entities so that they may adopt effective models of wellness shown to lower costs and improve health. (3) Incentives for individuals to take proactive preventative measures, including weight management and smoking cessation. (4) Federal tax credits and incentive grants to local education agencies, businesses, local departments of public health, communities, hospitals, health care providers and other entities to promote the development of healthy and sustainable local and regional food systems. SEC. 7. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. (a) In General.--The Blueprint for Health shall promote the effective, efficient, national use of health care information technology initiatives. (b) Assessment.--As part of the Blueprint for Health, the Secretary shall commission an assessment to be presented to Congress not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act that examines the implementation of the health information technology provisions enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This assessment shall evaluate the implementation of such provisions as they apply to chronic care management, and determine if further action is needed to ensure that the funding provided in such Act under such provisions is used effectively and efficiently to help ensure the effective management of chronic disease. SEC. 8. RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONGRESS; ANNUAL REPORT. (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall present to Congress recommendations for legislation to implement the Blueprint for Health, including the establishment of programs designed to enhance primary care, promote multidisciplinary care coordination, prevent disease, improve quality, contain costs, more effectively manage chronic illness, and promote good health and prevention initiatives. (b) Annual Report.--The Secretary shall submit an annual report to Congress on the status of the implementation of the Blueprint for Health.
summary: Blueprint for Health Act of 2009 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create the Blueprint for Health program to provide a national infrastructure for disease prevention, health promotion, and education about, and better management of, chronic conditions. Sets forth elements to be included in the Blueprint, including: (1) a strategic plan for designing an integrated medical home model of care; (2) chronic management programs; (3) incentives for the prevention of chronic diseases, including investments in health and sustainable local and regional food systems; and (4) a plan for the assessment of current health information technology initiatives. Requires the Secretary to convene an executive committee to advise the Secretary on the creation and implementation of the Blueprint for Health. Requires the Blueprint for Health to promote the effective, efficient, national use of health care information technology initiatives. Directs the Secretary to commission an assessment that examines the implementation of the health information technology provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Requires the Secretary to recommend to Congress legislation to implement the Blueprint for Health, including the establishment of programs designed to enhance primary care, promote multidisciplinary care coordination, prevent disease, improve quality, contain costs, more effectively manage chronic illness, and promote good health and prevention initiatives.