Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act
Latest action · Mar 20, 2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
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.
- IntroducedFeb 27, 2014
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act - Establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines in the provision of health care goods or services.
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish clinical practice guidelines that have been provided and maintained by national or state medical societies or medical specialty societies designated by the Secretary. Sets forth standards for the development of guidelines, including related to transparency, the composition of the panel, and the review of existing evidence.
Declares that this Act does not preempt or supersede any state or federal law that imposes greater procedural or substantive protections for health care providers and health care organizations from liability, loss, or damages than those provided under this Act nor does it create a cause of action or preempt any defenses otherwise available.
Allows a defendant to remove any health care liability action brought in a state court to a district court.
Requires an independent medical review in health care liability actions if the eligible professionals allege that they adhered to applicable clinical practice guideline. Sets forth procedures for the use of the panel's findings at trial. Enables defendants to recover costs and attorneys' fees from plaintiffs if the defendants prevail subsequent to preliminary findings in their favor.
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 27, 2014 to Jul 29, 2014; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Ami Bera | Original | Feb 27, 2014 |
| R-TN | David P. Roe | Feb 28, 2014 | |
| R-NJ | Scott Garrett | Feb 28, 2014 | |
| R-OH | Steve Stivers | Feb 28, 2014 | |
| R-GA | Tom Price | Feb 28, 2014 | |
| R-CO | Mike Coffman | Mar 6, 2014 | |
| R-WV | Shelley Moore Capito | Mar 6, 2014 | |
| R-AR | Tim Griffin | Mar 24, 2014 | |
| R-AR | Tom Cotton | Mar 24, 2014 | |
| R-AL | Bradley Byrne | Apr 28, 2014 | |
| R-NC | George Holding | Apr 28, 2014 | |
| R-NC | Robert Pittenger | May 22, 2014 | |
| R-AL | Spencer Bachus | May 22, 2014 | |
| R-LA | Charles W. Boustany, Jr. | May 28, 2014 | |
| R-IN | Todd Rokita | May 28, 2014 | |
| R-NM | Stevan Pearce | Jun 5, 2014 | |
| R-WI | Reid J. Ribble | Jun 10, 2014 | |
| R-NC | Mark Meadows | Jul 3, 2014 | |
| R-WV | David B. McKinley | Jul 29, 2014 |
Committees 2
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 Feb 27, 2014 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Feb 28, 2014 | |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Feb 27, 2014 |
| Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee | Referred Mar 20, 2014 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 20, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
- Feb 28, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Feb 27, 2014Introduced in House
- Feb 27, 2014Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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 H2065.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R43812 | Hospital-Based Emergency Departments: Background and Policy Considerations | Report | Dec 8, 2014 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To provide for the development and dissemination of clinical practice guidelines and the establishment of a right of removal to Federal courts for defendants in medical malpractice actions involving a Federal payor, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Administrative remedies
- Advisory bodies
- Civil actions and liability
- Evidence and witnesses
- Federal district courts
- Government information and archives
- Health
- Health care quality
- Health information and medical records
- Health personnel
- Judicial procedure and administration
- Lawyers and legal services
- State and local courts
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 27, 2014Introduced 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.
