To provide training to long-term care ombudsman.

1. Adds SEC. ____. TRAINING FOR LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN on page 608, between lines 10 and 11

   Adds a sectionPrinted page

   Inserted: SEC. ____. TRAINING FOR LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Administration on Aging and in consultation with the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shall authorize a program, to be developed and implemented by the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center, for the training of long-term care ombudsmen in the use of quality of care information.

   Inserted: (b) Training.--Under the program developed under subsection (a), training shall be provided to long-term care ombudsman to enable such ombudsman to educate consumers concerning--

   Inserted: (1) nursing home quality of care issues;

   Inserted: (2) available nursing home quality of care reports, including existing quality data that the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released for use by the public in choosing long-term care facilities; and

   Inserted: (3) the manner in which an individual can successfully integrate quality information into health care decision making regarding nursing home decisions.

   Inserted: (c) Duties of Resource Center.--The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center shall--

   Inserted: (1) develop and maintain a curriculum for ombudsmen;

   Inserted: (2) develop, produce, and maintain training materials;

   Inserted: (3) conduct train-the-trainer programs at regional and national levels; and

   Inserted: (4) act as a clearinghouse for best practices in communicating the significance of nursing home quality indicators to residents and their caregivers.

   Inserted: (d) Pilot Programs.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall award grants for the establishment of 1-year pilot demonstration programs in 10 States using long-term care ombudsmen to educate consumers regarding home health care quality. Such pilot demonstration programs shall test the effectiveness of having a committed position within the State dedicated to helping consumers use home health care quality indicators.

   Show 2 more inserted paragraphsShow less

   Inserted: (e) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress a report concerning the effectiveness of the program established under this section, including the benefits of providing for dedicated staff who are responsible for educating consumers to use home health quality indicators in their health care decision-making.

   Inserted: (f) Authorization.--In addition to any other amounts authorized to be appropriate for long-term care ombudsman programs, there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 (of which $1,000,000 shall be used to carry out subsection (d)), and $2,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter.

   Original wording

   On page 608, between lines 10 and 11, insert the following:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed