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2010 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 82
Directing the Joint Commission on Health Care to study feasibility of developing chronic health care homes in the Commonwealth. Report.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 8, 2010
Agreed to by the Senate, March 9, 2010

 

WHEREAS, chronic diseases can have a profound physical, psychological, and emotional impact on an individual, his caregiver, his family, and society; and

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that approximately one half of all Americans were affected by chronic health problems and that chronic health disorders accounted for approximately 1.7 million deaths, or 70 percent of all deaths in the United States in 2005; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Health's Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment reported, in 2006, approximately four million cases of the seven most common chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, pulmonary conditions, and mental health disorders; and

WHEREAS, the enormous cost associated with chronic diseases lead to unnecessary and preventable visits to hospital emergency departments, hospitalization, and lost work productivity; and

WHEREAS, health care homes have been shown to improve the quality of care, improve patient outcomes, and reduce costs; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Joint Commission on Health Care be directed to study the feasibility of developing chronic health care homes in the Commonwealth.

In conducting its study, the Joint Commission on Health Care shall review available information including information about programs in other states to develop recommendations related to: (i) standards for chronic health care homes which emphasize (a) the use of a range of primary care practitioners and other professionals including care coordinators to provide high quality, patient-centered care, including development of individualized comprehensive patient care plans, use of patient decision-making aids that provide patients with information about treatment options and associated benefits, consistent contacts between patients and care teams, and systematic patient follow-up, (b) the use of health information technology, (c) the use of evidence-based health care practices, and (d) incorporate quality outcome, and cost-of-care measures; (ii) standards for certification of health care facilities as chronic health care homes including ongoing reporting requirements for chronic health care homes; (iii) development of a chronic health care home collaborative to provide opportunities for chronic health care homes and state agencies to exchange information related to quality improvement and best practices; (iv) enrollment of state medical assistance recipients with chronic health problems in chronic health care home programs; and (v) costs associated with implementing a successful demonstration program to test whether chronic health care homes can improve health care quality and patient outcomes, and reduce costs associated with chronic health problems.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Joint Commission on Health Care for this study, upon request.

The Joint Commission on Health Care shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2010, and for the second year by November 30, 2011, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year. Each executive summary shall state whether the Joint Commission on Health Care intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.