Health Care OverUse Reform Today Act (HealthCOURT Act) of 2011
Latest action · Jun 24, 2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 24, 2011
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Health Care OverUse Reform Today Act (HealthCOURT Act) of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for the selection and issuance of best practice guidelines for treatment of medical conditions.
Requires the Secretary to contract with a qualified physician consensus-building organization to develop guidelines and issue a rule that provides for the establishment of such guidelines. Prohibits the Secretary from making a rule that includes guidelines other than those submitted by such organization.
Requires the Secretary to routinely review guidelines and, as necessary, enter into additional contracts to issue guidelines.
Prohibits a court from awarding noneconomic damages or punitive damages in any health care lawsuit with respect to treatment that is consistent with a guideline issued under this Act.
Prohibits guidelines from being introduced as evidence of negligence or deviation in the standard of care in any health care lawsuit unless such guidelines have previously been introduced by the defendant.
Declares that there shall be no presumption of negligence if a health care provider provides treatment in a manner inconsistent with such guidelines.
Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary to award grants to states for the development, implementation, and evaluation of administrative health care tribunals for the resolution of disputes concerning injuries allegedly caused by health care providers. Sets forth provisions governing the operation of such tribunals, including requiring a review of allegations by an expert panel to assess liability.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jul 26, 2011.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-MS | Steven M. Palazzo | Jul 26, 2011 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jun 24, 2011 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jun 24, 2011 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2011Introduced in House
- Jun 24, 2011Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Jun 24, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H4576.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To establish performance-based quality measures, to establish limitations on recovery in health care lawsuits based on compliance with best practice guidelines, and to provide grants to States for administrative health care tribunals.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Health Care OverUse Reform Today Act (HealthCOURT Act) of 2011
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2011Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
